Routine production of ultrahigh vacuum, new surface‐analytical techniques and more quantitative theories—all combine to open exciting prospects for the study and use of solid surfaces.
The intrinsic interest in an empty box is limited, however difficult the task of evacuating it may be. It is the new vistas in science and technology opened by the ability routinely to produce ultra‐high vacua as a controlled environment that excite our interest. The challenges of generating and measuring such vacua will be described in the following articles of this issue of PHYSICS TODAY. We devote our discussion to recent developments in the study of surface phenomena, an area of science that has been both a beneficiary of and contributor to advances in vacuum technology.
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References
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28. Kai Siegbahn, C. Nordling, A. Fahlman, R. Nordberg, K. Hamrin, J. Hedman, G. Johansson, T. Bergmark, S.‐E. Karlsson, I. Lindgren, B. Lindberg, ESCA: Atomic, Molecular, and Solid State Structure Studied by Means of Electron Spectroscopy, Almqvist and Wiksells, Uppsala (1967).
Amid growing investment in planetary-scale climate intervention strategies that alter sunlight reflection, global communities deserve inclusive and accountable oversight of research.
Although motivated by the fundamental exploration of the weirdness of the quantum world, the prizewinning experiments have led to a promising branch of quantum computing technology.
As conventional lithium-ion battery technology approaches its theoretical limits, researchers are studying alternative architectures with solid electrolytes.
November 10, 2025 10:22 AM
This Content Appeared In
Volume 25, Number 8
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