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Science 29 January 1999:
Vol. 283. no. 5402, pp. 626 - 627
DOI: 10.1126/science.283.5402.626
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News Focus

ATOM OPTICS:
Videotape Brings Atoms to a Focus

Andrew Watson

Physicists have known for decades that atoms can behave like light waves, and that they should be able to guide and focus them like beams of light. But researchers have found creating an atom version of even simple optical elements, such as the humble mirror, to be surprisingly challenging. Now in the 18 January issue of Physical Review Letters, a British team reports using videotape, a cylinder, a lens, and some glue to create the first high-quality curved, focusing atom mirror. Such a mirror is likely to be an important ingredient in the creation of a controllable atom beam that could be used to create integrated circuits and other nanostructures many times smaller than those possible today.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)