Never-Before-Seen Resolution: Advanced Microscopy Sheds Light on Mysterious Magnetic Fields

Techniques for acquiring images and correcting defocusing now allow the observation of atomic-scale magnetic fields with never-before-seen resolution.
A research team from Japan, comprising scientists from Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE 6501, Hitachi), Kyushu University, RIKEN, and HREM Research Inc. (HREM), has made a significant breakthrough in observing magnetic fields at extraordinarily small scales. In collaboration with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), the team utilized Hitachi’s atomic-resolution holography electron microscope, along with newly developed image acquisition technology and defocus correction algorithms, to visualize the magnetic fields of individual atomic layers within a crystalline solid.