Hacker News·3 min read·medium

How to put 170 atoms in an atom

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How to put 170 atoms in an atom
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Scientists have developed a method to create 'Rydberg atoms' by exciting electrons to high energy levels, creating large orbits that can contain other atoms. This process relies on precise energy control to prevent the atom from ionizing.

You might already know that atoms are mostly empty space. Physical size behaves a bit weirdly at the atomic scale, but essentially the radius of an atom’s nucleus is tens of thousands of times smaller than the radius of an electron’s orbital. That’s the same ratio as a single grain of sand 1 to a football field. 2

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