Which mechanism limits spatial resolution of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) used to image electron orbitals?

💡 Explanation

When imaging orbitals with STM, the spatial resolution is limited by the size of the tip's apex, because the tunneling current averages over the area of the tip, blurring fine details of the orbitals. Therefore apex size limits resolution, rather than thermal fluctuations, vibration modes or quantum entanglement, which contribute other effects.

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