The art of engineering

Summary form only given. In this photomicrograph of a tungsten surface with nitrogen atoms adsorbed on it, each small white spot represents an atom. The overall impression created by the illustration is an artistic one. Its real value, however, lies in its technological utility. The photomicrograph was made possible by the ion emission microscope, one of the newest tools of research, that bears little resemblance to the familiar optical microscope. The new instrument enables its user to "see" atoms by studying images that are enlarged one million times. At General Electric, work has been under way to exploit the power and versatility of the microscope for studies of the interactions between gases and metals. It has been possible to observe directly the effectiveness of different atomic arrangements in bonding gases, such as nitrogen and carbon monoxide, onto tungsten. The illustration reproduced above is typical of the results obtainable.