Scientist creates mini-masterpiece
18 Jan 2007 by Evoluted New Media
Korean researchers have crafted a microscopic version of Rodin’s famed sculpture “The Thinker” just about twice the size of a red blood cell at 20 millionths of a meter high - 93,000 times smaller than the original.
Korean researchers have crafted a microscopic version of Rodin’s famed sculpture “The Thinker” just about twice the size of a red blood cell at 20 millionths of a meter high - 93,000 times smaller than the original.
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| Worlds smallest Thinker. Yang's rendering of Rodin's classic sculpture |
Researchers have been experimenting with lasers to create micro-structures for several years, and use resins that harden when exposed to certain frequencies of light. Using overlapping beams of lasers, researchers can then solidify a sculpture with details measuring less than a wavelength of visible light in size.
However, while the outside of these sculptures are hard, their innards remain soft. This leaves them vulnerable to surface tension which can cause them to deform. To solve this problem Yang used multiple laser beams focused at and below each spot on the surface of the sculpture. The result is a thicker skin without each ‘hard spot’ taking up more surface area.
Yang and his colleagues reported their findings in the the journal Applied Physics Letters.
