Atomic beam
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atomic beam
(ə′täm·ik ′bēm)
(physics) A stream of atoms, which may or may not be ionized.
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Atomic beams
Unidirectional streams of neutral atoms passing through a vacuum. These atoms are virtually free from the influence of neighboring atoms but may be subjected to electric and magnetic fields so that their properties may be studied. The technique of atomic beams is identical to that of molecular beams. For historical reasons the latter term is most generally used to describe the method as applied to either atoms or molecules.
The method of atomic beams yields extremely accurate spectroscopic data about the energy levels of atoms, and hence detailed information about the interaction of electrons in the atom with each other and with the atomic nucleus, as well as information about the interaction of all components of the atom with external fields. See also Molecular beams.
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Atomic beam
Atomic beam is special case of particle beam; it is the collimated flux (beam) of neutral atoms. The imaging systems using the slow atomic beams can use the Fresnel zone plate (Fresnel diffraction lens) of a Fresnel diffraction mirror as focusing element. The imaging system with atomic beam could provide the sub-micrometre resolution.
See pics of the Atomic beam laboratory at [1]
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McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Dictionary
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Encyclopedia
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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