Yikes! Sensor measures yoctonewton forces fast
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 - 11:28
in Physics & Chemistry
Physicists have used a small crystal of ions (electrically charged atoms) to detect forces at the scale of yoctonewtons. Measurements of slight forces -- one yoctonewton is equivalent to the weight of a single copper atom on Earth -- can be useful in force microscopy, nanoscale science, and tests of fundamental physics theories.