Jul 13, 2020
Robbie Elbertse is a researcher at Delft University who
co-published an article with David Coffey on the creation of a
sensor that is only 11 atoms in size, and he dives into all the
details on today’s show.
By tuning in, you’ll discover:
You may be familiar with “stadium waves” or “doing the wave” at
sporting events. It’s accomplished when successive groups of
spectators raise and almost immediately lower their arms, creating
the perception of a wave rolling across the entire audience.
Now, imagine what this would look like if instead of individual
people contributing to the wave, individual atoms contributed to
the wave. This is one way to imagine what’s called a magnetic wave,
and it was David Coffey’s desire to measure this atomic-level wave
that inspired him to create a
sensor composed of just 11 atoms.
Elbertse explains the science behind this
sensor, describes why uncoupled electrons orbiting an atom’s
nucleus cause an atom to have “spin” or magnetic moments, and
illustrates how the orientation of certain atoms in a chain can
lead to a magnetic wave. Coffey wanted to figure out how far these
waves would travel.
For example, could a magnetic wave reach the end of a 100-atom
chain? In an effort to answer this, Coffey’s
sensor was created and put to the test. In addition to
discussing the results, Elbertse provides an in-depth
explanation of the physics behind the
sensor, how they conduct their experiments, the benefits and
new opportunities provided by the use of this
sensor, and much more.
Watch the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isdDEIxuN64
and visit https://ottelab.tudelft.nl/ to
learn more.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK