Scientists capture world's first nanoscale X-ray of a single atom.

Scientists have captured the first X-ray image of a single atom using a microscope that combines scanning probes and synchrotron X-ray imaging. The technique, known as synchrotron X-ray scanning tunneling microscopy, allows for the individual atom to be identified and its chemical state to be measured. The team of scientists from Ohio University, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Illinois-Chicago and other institutions used a supramolecule made of a single iron atom and several terbium atoms to capture the image. The discovery could revolutionise research and give birth to new technologies in areas such as quantum information and the detection of trace elements in environmental and medical research.