Bring in the (nano) noise
Friday, May 27, 2011 - 05:30
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- At the forefront of nanotechnology, researchers design miniature machines to do big jobs, from treating diseases to harnessing sunlight for energy. But as they push the limits of this technology, devices are becoming so small and sensitive that the behavior of individual atoms starts to get in the way. Now Caltech researchers have, for the first time, measured and characterized these atomic fluctuationswhich cause statistical noisein a nanoscale device.