Atomic resolution

I wanted to share with you all a little of what I am doing in my research right now. Above is a picture of very small wires. The scale on the bottom right says 5 micrometers. This is 1,000,000 times smaller then a meter. The wires are made of Platinum. They "grew" on the silicon background in a low pressure vacuum system. I "grew" these wires on Friday 3 March.

I want to bring your attention to one thing that I really liked about this picture: Look at either side and you will see small ripples in the background. These are steps on the silicon surface. Think of a map of the mountains. Each step is one atom high. Notice the wires can not go across these steps. Instead they break the steps or force them to grow under them. Interesting, at least for me. I hope you all enjoy this little insite into my life as a graduate student.