Heinrich Rohrer

Heinrich Rohrer was a Swiss physicist who shared the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics with Gerd Binnig for developing the scanning tunneling microscope.

Gerd Binnig: Gerd Binnig is a German physicist who shared the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics for developing the scanning tunneling microscope. Rohrer’s close collaborator, Binnig co-developed the instrument recognized by their shared Nobel Prize.
Scanning tunneling microscope: A scanning tunneling microscope images conductive surfaces by measuring quantum tunneling current between a sharp tip and the surface. This is the instrument Rohrer and Binnig developed, and the work cited by the Nobel committee.
Surface science: Surface science studies the physical and chemical properties of solid surfaces and interfaces. The scanning tunneling microscope made atomic-scale surface structure directly accessible to this field.
Atomic resolution: Atomic resolution is the ability to distinguish individual atoms or atomic-scale features in an image. The STM made atomic-scale surface imaging a practical experimental capability.
IBM Research Zurich: IBM Research Zurich is a scientific laboratory established by IBM in Rüschlikon, Switzerland. Rohrer and Binnig developed the scanning tunneling microscope while working at this laboratory.
Quantum tunneling: Quantum tunneling is the passage of a particle through an energy barrier it could not cross in classical physics. The microscope’s measurable current arises from electrons tunneling between its tip and the sample.
Atomic manipulation: Atomic manipulation is the controlled repositioning of individual atoms using precision instruments. Scanning tunneling microscope tips can move atoms, demonstrating control beyond imaging.
Atomic force microscope: An atomic force microscope maps surfaces by sensing forces between a sharp tip and a sample. Unlike Rohrer’s tunneling-based instrument, it can image nonconductive surfaces.
Ernst Ruska: Ernst Ruska was a German physicist who developed the electron microscope and shared the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics. Ruska shared Rohrer and Binnig’s Nobel Prize for separate contributions to electron microscopy.
Scanning probe microscopy: Scanning probe microscopy forms images by moving a fine probe across a surface and measuring local interactions. Rohrer’s instrument helped establish this broader family of surface-imaging techniques.

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