Ion microscope

Ion microscope, a magnifying instrument capable of magnifying up to 2 million times and with enough clarity to make individual atoms visible. Invented by the German physicist Erwin W. Muller, the ion microscope was used in 1951 to take the first picture of the arrangement of atoms on a metal's surface. The microscope works on the principle of electrical attraction and repulsion. Scientists use it, among other purposes, to study the physics and chemistry of surfaces and impurities in metals.

See also: Microscope.