Will it ever be possible to see the parts of atoms?

Question

I know about high powered electron microscopes like the scanning tunneling microscope, but that doesn't really show you the parts of the atoms, they are represented by colored spheres. What I mean is say a hydrogen atom, being able to see the proton and a electron orbiting it, or say irons atoms, seeing the electrons and nucleui. I think one reason it may not be possible is the wavelength of light is much larger than that of at atomic nucleus, so there's no way it could reflect off of the nucleus and or electrons.

Dixon · Answer

The idea of seeing parts of atoms is a very human-centered way of thinking. It's a bit like asking about touching or smelling parts of atoms, it just not what happenss at that scale.

Jeffrey K · Answer

One reason why it's impossible to see electrons and nuclei in atoms is that they are smaller than the wavelength of visible light, as you said.
But, more importantly, is that electrons do not have positions or follow orbits. They are just waves of probability, until observed. According to quantum mechanics, they are very different things before they are observed and after. (Observing an electron doesn't mean seeing it. Its charge might just cause a tiny voltage in a wire.)
Protons and neutrons in the nucleus are not tiny balls either. They obey the rules of quantum mechanics too.

Andrew Smith · Answer

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle covers your point.  But there is another even bigger one.  There is nothing to see.  What makes you imagine that these are small round balls with a fixed size and shape?  If they are not then how would it be possible to "see" a vague smear in space?  The model of the atom is useful but don't imagine that a real atom precisely matches our model in miniature.

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Will it ever be possible to see the parts of atoms?

3 Answers