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Embargoed Until 1 p.m. Eastern Time:
NSF PR 03-147 - December 17, 2003

Note About Images

 

Image 1

Eric Mazur

Eric Mazur in his laboratory at Harvard University.
Credit: Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard News Office, © 2001 President and Fellows of Harvard College/National Science Foundation

 

Image 2

light-conducting silica nanowire wraps a beam of light

A light-conducting silica nanowire wraps a beam of light around a strand of hu-man hair. The nanowires are flexible and can be as slender as 50 nanometers in width, about one-thousandth the width of a hair.
Credit: Limin Tong/Harvard University
TIFF of Photo 2 (666KB)

 

Image 3

a silica wire is wrapped around a sapphire taper

To create the nanowires, a silica wire is wrapped around a sapphire taper (left) which is held over a flame. As the wire reaches temperatures of about 1700 degrees Celsius, this wire is drawn along the taper, elongating and narrowing it. The re-sulting strand (right) is not only ultrathin, but has a highly smooth surface and uniform composition.
Credit: Limin Tong/Harvard University
TIFF of Photo 3 (767KB)

 

Image 4

long-time exposure micrograph of a nanowire

Long-time exposure micrograph of a nanowire (upper left) guiding light in air. Unlike a normal fiber, which confines light within its walls, minuscule particles of dust along the wires' surface can scatter the light beam. The light is intercepted at the right by another wire to show the amount of light guided by it.
Credit: Limin Tong/Harvard University
TIFF of Photo 4 (481KB)

 

Image 5

a nanowire curled into a loop in front of a strand of human hair

Micrograph of a nanowire curled into a loop in front of a strand of human hair. The nanowires can be as slender as 50 nanometers in width, about one-thousandth the width of a hair.
Credit: Limin Tong/Harvard University
TIFF of Photo 5 (453KB)

 

 
 
     
 

 
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