Atomic diameter-scale measurements

[DyerMaker]

TL;DR

Can be a length as short as diameter of atom measured out with today's technology?

To be more precise: can we put two objects together so there will be a space with width of one (or some number below 10) atom's diameter(s) between them?

 

[DrClaude]

For the question to make sense, you would need the surface of each object to be perfect, following a flat crystal plane. Then, because of quantum mechanics, an atom doesn't have a defined size. By the time the two surfaces would at about the atom-atom distance in the crystal, they would already be consider to be touching each other.

 

[Rive]

Well, kind of yes.

Images can be made so measurements can be taken, but with this size it's already no longer simple what will an image show or what will a measurement measure.