Latest news with #smallestviolin
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Scientists create 'world's smallest violin'
If you have a complaint over your timetables or exams, Loughborough University may not be the place to air it. For physicists at the university believe they have created the world's smallest violin using nanotechnology. They say work on the tiny instrument, which is smaller than the width of a human hair, will help with research into an array of applications from improving the efficiency of computers to finding new ways of harvesting energy. Prof Kelly Morrison, head of the university's physics department, said: "A lot of what we've learned in the process has actually laid the groundwork for the research we're now undertaking." The violin measures 35 microns long and 13 microns wide, with a micron being one millionth of a metre. A human hair typically ranges from 17 to 180 microns in diameter, for comparison. It was created to test the capabilities of the university's new nanolithography system, which allows researchers to build and study tiny structures. "Our nanolithography system allows us to design experiments that probe materials in different ways – using light, magnetism, or electricity – and observe their responses," Prof Morrison said. "Once we understand how materials behave, we can start applying that knowledge to develop new technologies, whether it's improving computing efficiency or finding new ways to harvest energy. "But first, we need to understand the fundamental science and this system enables us to do just that." The phrase "can you hear the world's smallest violin playing just for you?" is thought to have first appeared on an episode of TV show M*A*S*H in 1978, and usually mocks overly dramatic complaints. The violin is a microscopic image rather than a playable instrument and has not been officially confirmed as the world's smallest violin, the university said. To create it, Prof Morrison was joined by Dr Naëmi Leo and research technician Dr Arthur Coveney. A small chip was coated with two layers of gel-like material called a resist, before it was placed under the NanoFrazor, a nano-sculpting machine. The machine uses thermal scanning probe lithography, a technique where a heated, needle-like tip "writes" highly precise patterns at the nanoscale. This allowed the violin design to be etched on to the chip's surface layer. After it was etched, the underlayer of the resist was dissolved to leave behind a violin-shaped hole. The university said a thin layer of platinum was then deposited into the chip before a final rinse in acetone removed any remaining material to leave the finished violin. It takes around three hours to create a violin using the nanolithography system, but the research team's final version took several months as they refined and tested different techniques. "I'm really excited about the level of control and possibilities we have with the set-up," Prof Morrison added. Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Loughborough
BBC News
6 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Scientists at Loughborough University create 'world's smallest violin'
If you have a complaint over your timetables or exams, Loughborough University may not be the place to air physicists at the university believe they have created the world's smallest violin using say work on the tiny instrument, which is smaller than the width of a human hair, will help with research into an array of applications from improving the efficiency of computers to finding new ways of harvesting Kelly Morrison, head of the university's physics department, said: "A lot of what we've learned in the process has actually laid the groundwork for the research we're now undertaking." The violin measures 35 microns long and 13 microns wide, with a micron being one millionth of a metre. A human hair typically ranges from 17 to 180 microns in diameter, for was created to test the capabilities of the university's new nanolithography system, which allows researchers to build and study tiny structures."Our nanolithography system allows us to design experiments that probe materials in different ways – using light, magnetism, or electricity – and observe their responses," Prof Morrison said."Once we understand how materials behave, we can start applying that knowledge to develop new technologies, whether it's improving computing efficiency or finding new ways to harvest energy."But first, we need to understand the fundamental science and this system enables us to do just that." The phrase "can you hear the world's smallest violin playing just for you?" is thought to have first appeared on an episode of TV show M*A*S*H in 1978, and usually mocks overly dramatic violin is a microscopic image rather than a playable instrument and has not been officially confirmed as the world's smallest violin, the university create it, Prof Morrison was joined by Dr Naëmi Leo and research technician Dr Arthur Coveney.A small chip was coated with two layers of gel-like material called a resist, before it was placed under the NanoFrazor, a nano-sculpting machine uses thermal scanning probe lithography, a technique where a heated, needle-like tip "writes" highly precise patterns at the allowed the violin design to be etched on to the chip's surface layer. After it was etched, the underlayer of the resist was dissolved to leave behind a violin-shaped university said a thin layer of platinum was then deposited into the chip before a final rinse in acetone removed any remaining material to leave the finished takes around three hours to create a violin using the nanolithography system, but the research team's final version took several months as they refined and tested different techniques."I'm really excited about the level of control and possibilities we have with the set-up," Prof Morrison added.
Telegraph
7 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
World's smallest violin fits inside human hair
It's a project unlikely to elicit much sympathy, but physicists at Loughborough University have laboured to create the world's smallest violin. The tiny instrument, which can only be seen under a microscope, has been etched in platinum using nanotechnology, and is significantly slimmer than a human hair. It was created to test and demonstrate the capabilities of the university's new nanolithography system, which can build and study the tiniest structures to see how materials behave at the smallest scale. 'Though creating the world's smallest violin may seem like fun and games, a lot of what we've learnt in the process has actually laid the groundwork for the research we're now undertaking,' said Prof Kelly Morrison, head of the physics department and an expert in experimental physics. 'People are always looking for something that runs faster, better, more efficiently, that requires continuing to find a way to scale down. As it gets harder to make things smaller, we now need different ways of approaching that.' The team chose to create the miniscule musical instrument in homage to the phrase 'the world's smallest violin', which is often employed sarcastically to imply a perceived problem is trivial and unworthy of concern. The expression is thought to have first emerged in the 1970s, and was popularised by the US television series M*A*S*H. The violin is a microscopic image rather than a playable instrument, and it has not yet been confirmed by any official channels as the world's smallest violin. However, it is unlikely there is any instrument smaller. It measures just 35 microns long and 13 microns wide, with a micron being one millionth of a metre. A human hair typically ranges from 17 to 180 microns in diameter. The violin was made using a technique called thermal scanning probe lithography, in which a heated, needle-like tip burns away highly precise patterns at nanoscale. It works similar to screen printing on a T-shirt where colour is squeezed through a stencil to leave the design behind. The team began by coating a small chip with a gel-like material, then used the heated tip to burn the pattern of the violin into the surface layer to create a violin-shaped cavity. A thin layer of platinum was then deposited onto the chip and the rest of the gel removed, to leave behind the violin in a process that takes around three hours. The finished piece is no larger than a speck of dust on the chip and can only be viewed in detail using a microscope. It's even smaller than a tardigrade – the microscopic, eight-legged micro-animals. Dr Naemi Leo, a research technician at Loughborough, said: 'Another comparison we can make is the size of the violin is the size of a tardigrade or small water bear, and they have a size of about 50 to 1,200 microns, so if you had a small tardigrade they might be able to play the violin.' Prof Morrison added: 'I'm really excited about the level of control and possibilities we have with the set-up. 'I'm looking forward to seeing what I can achieve – but also what everyone else can do with the system.' The team is also looking into whether the system can offer an alternative to magnetic data storage and computing technologies.
