A physicist from Vilnius University in Lithuania has created a 3D-printed replica of the Sorbonne Chapel so small it fits on a human hair.
Located in Paris’s Latin Quarter, the Chapel of Sainte-Ursule de la Sorbonne is a Roman Catholic chapel and was constructed in the seventeenth century.
To create the structure, Gordon Zyla, who carries out research in light technologies at Vilnius’s Laser Research Centre, used a laser nanofabrication technique known as multiphoton 3D lithography.
“Unlike conventional 3D printing, this approach can solidify a light-sensitive material at virtually any point in space, enabling the fabrication of truly three-dimensional structures,” notes Zyla.
The length of the finished product is approximately 120 micrometres long, being 275 000 times smaller than the original yet still preserving its architectural details.
Late last week, the model was presented as a symbolic gift to Sorbonne University president Nathalie Drach-Temam during a visit to Vilnius.
