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How hot can a scanning tunneling microscope operate?
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scanning tunneling microscope
How atoms can be seen.
A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) can be heated to temperatures above 973 K (700 °C, or 1,300 °F).1
This high-temperature capability is utilized to study the rapid diffusion of atoms across the surface of metals and their corrosion. In addition to high-temperature operation, the instrument can also be cooled to temperatures below 4 K (−269 °C, or −452 °F) to investigate the properties of superconducting materials.1
Would you like to know more about the environments, such as vacuum or liquid, in which an STM can operate?