Visualization of Quantum Phenomena Wilson Ho, Donald Bren Professor Physics and Astronomy & Chemistry, University of California, Irvine

The unique capabilities of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) have enabled new opportunities for the investigation and control of matter and its transformation at the atomic and molecular scales. Some of the phenomena that are traditionally encountered in an introductory course in quantum mechanics, such as particle tunneling, Brownian motion, particle in a box, harmonic oscillators, and molecular orbitals, can be directly visualized with the STM. By coupling laser light to the microscope, it has also become possible to achieve spatial resolution at the atomic scale for probing light-matter interactions. Results from these experiments provide a basic understanding of the properties and interactions of atoms, molecules, and nanostructures.