Scanning techniques are instrumental methodologies that acquire spatially resolved information from a specimen or environment by systematically interrogating it point-by-point or line-by-line, often using a focused probe such as photons, electrons, ions, or mechanical tips. These techniques include modalities like scanning electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopies, and various spectroscopic scanning methods, which map physical, chemical, or electronic properties across a surface or volume. Key parameters include spatial and temporal resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast mechanisms determined by probe–sample interactions. Scanning techniques are fundamental for nanoscale characterization, metrology, and defect analysis in materials science, biology, and semiconductor research.
By rapidly twisting a microscopically small tip back and forth, researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have unlocked a new way to detect subtle changes on the surface of a material flexing in response to infrared ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 7, 2026
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A collaborative research group led by Hiroshi Daimon, a specially appointed research fellow at the Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, has developed an "atom-holography microscope" capable ...
Bio & Medicine
Jul 30, 2026
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Artificial intelligence faces an energy crisis stemming from a physical traffic jam inside modern computer chips. Processors must continually shuffle data, such as the billions of parameters in complex models, between separate ...
Condensed Matter
Jul 21, 2026
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Quantum technologies promise revolutionary advances in computing, sensing and information processing. However, controlling individual quantum bits (qubits) at the atomic scale remains a major challenge because conventional ...
Quantum Physics
Jul 16, 2026
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A new Tufts University imaging facility is doing something that most microscopy centers in the world cannot: allowing scientists to examine a butterfly wing, a living tissue or a microchip and reveal its physical structure, ...
Nanomaterials
Jul 10, 2026
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The rise of AI has created an almost insatiable appetite for computing power. Training and running AI systems requires vast numbers of transistors, and engineers are now racing to pack more of them onto every chip. With their ...
Vision shapes how many animals find food, avoid danger and navigate their world. In animals with two eyes, eye placement is often linked to lifestyle: predators such as lions tend to have forward-facing eyes that help them ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 2, 2026
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9
A research team led by Prof. Zhang Zhirong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a high-performance laser-based three-dimensional methane gas cloud imaging telemetry ...
Environment
Jun 27, 2026
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Diamonds have long been coveted for their beauty. Their dazzling color and clarity make them perfect candidates for luxury jewelry. However, it's their other unique characteristics, including their hardness, thermal conductivity ...
General Physics
Jun 24, 2026
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In a recent study, Manish Garg, independent group leader at Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI FKF), succeeded in probing the local properties of bright and dark excitons in the organic superconductor copper ...
Condensed Matter
Jun 23, 2026
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