'Whispering gallery' effect controls electron beams with light
Friday, June 5, 2020 - 13:50
in Physics & Chemistry
When you speak softly in one of the galleries of St Paul's cathedral, the sound runs around the dome and visitors anywhere on its circumference can hear it. This striking phenomenon has been termed the 'whispering gallery' effect, and one variant is where a wave travels nearly perfectly around a structure. Researchers have now harnessed the effect to control the beam of an electron microscope by light.