The Wave Property of Heavy Molecules—Its Use in Mass Spectrometry

摘要

Atoms, molecules, or whole solid-state bodies are not as rigid as many believe. Their quantum mechanical description as oscillators is not just a mathematical tool—it actually reflects physical reality. An impressive manifestation is the fact that a copper surface, when encircled by a ring (corral) of 48 iron atoms, clearly shows wave properties (Figure 1).