The short answer is; no. We will never see atoms using visible light, simply because the wavelength of visible light (around 400 to 700 nanometers) is larger than the size of an atom (around 0.1 to ...

This article examines how ptychography works and whether it is worth the hype. Electron microscopes have short wavelengths (a few picometers) and can resolve individual atoms inside a lattice.

Before ptychography, the highest resolution electron microscopes used a technology called aberration-correction to allow scientists to see individual atoms. Rather than using a beam of light to ...