The basic element in the following presentation is matter defined as the substance of which physical objects are composed and is the basic structural component of the universe. The four types of matter are solid, liquid, gas, and plasma where regardless of what form it is in, matter is built of "atoms". Observation of the surface of matter is not usually attractive, but it becomes extremely attractive once we look deep into it by applying sophisticated techniques. In other words, the insight of matter becomes a work of art where art is defined, among its numerous definitions, as “the products of human creativity”. According to The Encyclopedia Americana [1], art embraces all the creative disciplines - literature, poetry, drama, music, dance and visual arts. However, as commonly used today, art means the visual arts - painting, photograph, sculpture and architecture - those areas of artistic creativity that seek to communicate primary through the eye and eventually being reflected in the brain. In the following art is created by means of nanotechnology, photomicrography and by looking deep into space with Hubble’s telescope.

And now what is nanotechnology? Ref.[2] provides numerous definitions of which the following ones are reported: 1) “The technology that is built from single atoms and which depends on individual atoms for function”. An example is an enzyme. 2) “The science and art of making devices that are smaller in scale than Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems, often at a molecular size, generally fabricated by chemical processes that result in the growth or formation of certain useful structures”. The definition [3] most frequently used involves structures, devices, and systems having novel properties and functions due to the arrangement of their atoms on the 1 to 100-nanometer scale. An artistic elaboration of nanotechnology is presented below. It was Richard Feynman who was the first scientist that in 1959 suggested that devices and materials could someday be fabricated to atomic specifications. He indicated that the principles of physics do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom where only later the term nanotechnology was coined. The size of elements nanotechnology is dealing with is less than 100 nanometer where one nanometer is 10-9 meters or about 3 atoms long. For comparison, a human hair is about 60-80,000 nanometers wide. Scientists have discovered that materials of small dimensions - small particles, thin films, etc - can have significantly different properties than the same materials at larger scale. There are thus endless possibilities for improved devices, structures, and materials if we can understand these differences and learn how to control the assembly of small structures. Nanotechnology combines solid-state physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, biochemistry and biophysics, and materials science. Many are predicting that nanotechnology is the next technical revolution and products resulting from it will affect all areas of our economy and lifestyle.

What is photomicrography? According to ref. [4] its definition is “the art of producing photomicrographs” where the photograph is taken through a microscope. Photomicrography is quite different from normal daylight or flash photography to which most of us are much more accustomed. Light sources are different, so color balance becomes important with photomicrography. The illumination is reduced compared to daylight or flash, so reciprocity failure of film is an issue. Obtaining a good photomicrograph involves setting up microscope illumination to get the best image possible and then taking the photograph with attention to photographic principles. A famous photographer applying photomicrography [5] is Michael W. Davidson, a research scientist born in USA.
And finally how to look deep into space where “deep” is of the order of billion light years. It was the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) that has given astronomers a look at distant parts of the universe without the interference of Earth's atmosphere. Edwin Powell Hubble (1889–1953) was an American astronomer. He profoundly changed astronomers’ understanding of the nature of the universe by demonstrating the existence of other galaxies besides the Milky Way.

Editor’s note: Due to size of this column by Prof. Abraham Tamir, it will be split into two parts, the first one under “The art of nanotechnology” appears in this Issue, and the second part under “The art of photomicrography” appears in the 12th Issue of PhysicaPlus Online.

*** click here to read the second part ***

The art of nanotechnology

In this section pictures are presented demonstrating different subjects in nanotechnology. Parts of the pictures demonstrate real situations where part demonstrates ideas of nanotechnology applications. No doubt that the pictures demonstrate astounding artworks based on scientific ideas.

Fig.1 [6] shows iron atoms on a copper surface forming a ring called a ‘quantum corral’ that has been obtained by a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Standing waves of surface electrons trapped inside the corral are also visible. Such a microscope is a device of extraordinary sensitivity that can reveal the distribution of individual atoms on the surface of a sample. Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer developed the first STM in 1981 at the IBM Laboratories in Zurich. Don Eigler of the IBM Research Division photographed this photo.

Fig.1. Iron atoms on a copper surface forming a ring

Fig.2 [7] demonstrates spherical nanoparticles that practically vary between 0.1 and 100 nanometer. Fig.3 [8] is an artistic demonstration by Scott Dougherty of methane molecules flowing through the nanotube of less than two nanometers in diameter. Billions of these tubes act as the pores in the membrane that may offer a possibility of cheaper desalination. Fig.4 [9, 10] are additional demonstration of a nanotube on the left and multi-nanotubes.

Fig.2. Spherical nanoparticles_____Fig.3.Demonstration of nanotube membrane

Fig.4. Demonstration of a nanotube and multinanotubes

Nanotechnology seeks to arrange smaller components into more complex assemblies. DNA nanotechnology utilizes the specificity of Watson-Crick base pairing to construct well-defined structures out of DNA and other nucleic acids. Fig.5 [11] demonstrates artistically the well-known DNA molecule.

Fig.5. DNA molecule

Fig.6 demonstrates a possible nanomachine in which all parts are rotating. Fig.7 (Credit: Courtesy of the National Science Foundation) is a biosensor made from an array of silver nanoparticles deposited on glass. A biosensor is an apparatus for detecting chemical or physical signals that provide information about specific biological activities. Note how the shape of the Star of David is emerging from the biosensor.

Fig.6. Nanomachine____________Fig.7. Biosensor

The art of nanotechnology in medicine

In the previous section were presented pictures demonstrating different subjects in nanotechnology. In this section we elaborate on nanomedicine, namely, the medical treatment at the level of single molecules or molecular assemblies. New tools are being developed that permit imaging of structures at the "nano" scale as well as high-speed measurement of the dynamic behavior of the molecular assemblies. These advances are complemented by the expanded knowledge of the human genome, a greater understanding of specific diseases at the molecular scale, and the desire to understand the dynamic behavior of cellular machinery. Certain tools applied in nanomedicine are nanorobots with dimension on the order of nanometers. A nanorobot is a specialized nanomachine designed to perform a specific task or tasks repeatedly and with precision. Fig.8 demonstrates a nanorobot in a form of a creak trying to maneuver in a small vein. Tim Fonseca who has been creating imagery using mid-range computer graphics software painted it. All pictures, 8 to 11, of Fonseca appear in ref. [12]. Fig.9 demonstrates a nanosubmarine driven by a jet moving between blood cells. Fig.10 belongs to brain medicine. It demonstrates nanorobots that check the function of neurons. Afterwards they transfer the information to small computers where the information is processed and applied in brain medicine. Fig.11 demonstrates movable nanorobots whose function is to clean the lungs from breath garbage. Fig.12 [13] demonstrates a nanoinjector that is the future of nanotechnology in medicine. Jay Conley a London based photographer and digital illustrator painted it. Fig.13 [14] demonstrates a DNA repair machine. A nanorobt is walking in the cell nucleus making genetic repairs. The nanorobot makes analysis of the situation of the DNA and compares it to the normal situation. The disagreement is corrected. The artist of this painting is Bryan Leister, an American professional illustrator. Fig.14 [15] produced by The American Dental Association describes 3 nanorobots that clean the teeth. The teeth were enlarged 100 times in order to see the nanorobots.

Fig.8. A creak in the bloodstream

Fig.9. Bloodstream “Micro-Medical Doctor”

Fig.10. Brain Cells

Fig.11. Nanrobot Lung Cleaners

Fig.12. Nanoinjector with Red Cells

Fig.13. DNA Repair Machine

Fig.14. Dental Nanorobots