Two physical chemists in Switzerland have made the first "mirror" that can reflect atoms in which an electron has been so highly excited that it is barely bound to the nucleus any more. Edward Vliegen and Frederic Merkt of the ETH in Zurich were able to stop and then reflect these so-called "Rydberg atoms" using a system of electric fields. The researchers also claim to have been able to manipulate the spatial distribution of the reflected beam so that the mirror effectively acts as lens (Phys. Rev. Lett. 97 033002).
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