Can we see electrons in atoms?

[AhmedHesham]

I have just seen a video about the most powerful microscope. The best image of that microscope
represents a sheet of carbon atoms . Can we now see
electrons in these atoms or we need a more powerful
one?

https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/can-see-atom/

 

[Gene Naden]

If the microscope is powerful enough, has a short enough wavelength (perhaps .3*10^-9 meters for solid carbon). But light of that wavelength has an energy h*c/lambda of approximately 4000 electron volts. It would tear the atom apart. Maybe one of the particle physicists can suggest a particle that can do a better job than photons.

 

[anorlunda]

Look at the bottom of this page for a list of similar threads discussing this question.

 

[sophiecentaur]

or we need a more powerful
one?

Not a more powerful one but using something other than light. An electron microscope uses a beam of electrons and the electrons in the beam have a 'wavelength' that is much shorter than EM waves, for a given energy. You can see much finer detail than EM waves can produce. It may not satisfy the (OP) conditions required for 'seeing' the orbital electrons but the electron distribution can be 'imaged' with electrons. This link gives one example of imaging the actual electron orbitals in graphene.