Atomic force microscope
An instrument that images a surface by dragging or tapping an extremely sharp tip across it and recording the deflection.
It measures force, not light, so it is not limited by the wavelength of visible light and works in air or liquid. The catch is that every image is a convolution of the surface with the tip: features narrower than the tip radius come out looking like the tip. Reading an AFM image means reading an artefact as much as a surface.
Where this comes up
Articles that define atomic force microscope in context.
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