MIT scientists have captured the first-ever images of individual atoms freely interacting in space, marking a major breakthrough in quantum physics.

Led by physicist Martin Zwierlein, the team developed a new imaging technique called atom-resolved microscopy, which allows atoms to move, then briefly freezes and illuminates them to reveal their exact positions.

This method overcomes previous limitations in observing quantum behavior and offers unprecedented insights into atomic interactions in real space, Interesting Engineering has reported.

Written by B.C. Begley