In recent years, it has become possible to see directly
individual atoms using electron microscopy – especially in graphene, the
one-atom-thick sheet of carbon. An international collaboration between the
University of Vienna and research teams from the UK and the US has shown how an
electron beam can move silicon atoms through the graphene lattice without
causing damage. The research combines advanced electron microscopy with
demanding computer simulations and is published in the premier physics journal
Physical Review Letters.