Dynamic atomic force microscopes can gather information on the nanoscale. But interpreting the microscope's findings is another matter.rnNow, virtual simulation tools housed on computer clusters at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., can help scientists and engineers to interpret the raw data they've collected with dynamic atomic force microscopes.rnThe microscopes use a tiny, vibrating probe to yield information about materials and surfaces at a scale of billionths of a meter. The forces between atoms change the probe's vibration pattern and those changes allow engineers to interpret what's happening at that incredibly small scale, said Arvind Raman, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering.
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