PHYSICS / MICROSCOPY

LR-HIGHEST-RESOLUTION-ELECTRON-MICROSCOPE-IMAGEOPEN LIMIT

Highest spatial resolution ever achieved by an electron microscope

Name: Highest spatial resolution ever achieved by an electron microscope
Creator: Limits Registry
Published: 2021-08-11T00:00:00.000Z
Keywords: PHYSICS / MICROSCOPY

A ptychographic electron microscopy technique developed by researchers at Cornell University achieved a spatial resolution of about 0.39 angstroms (39 picometers) in 2018, later improved further to about 20 picometers in subsequent work — among the highest resolutions ever achieved by any imaging technique, well beyond what is needed to resolve individual atoms and even distinguish subtle atomic vibrations.

— page viewsSpecification version 1Published 2021-08-111 evidence records

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The question, scope, and sources behind this Registry record.

Description

Formal question

The smallest spatial resolution confirmed for any electron microscopy imaging technique, defined as the minimum distance between two features that can be distinctly resolved.

Scope & constraints

Current published specification applies.

Primary sources

Nature — Electron ptychography achieves atomic-resolution limits set by lattice vibrations — Highest spatial resolution ever achieved by an electron microscope Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

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2026

CLM-HIGHEST-RESOLUTION-ELECTRON-MICROSCOPE-IMAGE= 20CONSTRUCTIONElectron ptychography: a scanning transmission electron microscope collects a full diffraction pattern at each probe position, and computational phase-retrieval algorithms reconstruct a super-resolved image beyond the microscope's raw lens-limited resolution.Evidence quality: PAPER · Source: Nature — Electron ptychography achieves atomic-resolution limits set by lattice vibrations — Highest spatial resolution ever achieved by an electron microscope ↗

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Highest spatial resolution ever achieved by an electron microscope

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Highest spatial resolution ever achieved by an electron microscope

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