Scientists have used light to focus on smaller particles under one millionth of a meter. The world's smallest magnifying glass changed the scientific theory postulating that light cannot focus on a particle with smaller wavelength.

To create the magnifying device, researchers from the University of Cambridge utilized "highly conducive gold nanoparticles" that has a very small measurement which only one molecule can fit inside of it.

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The new invention has a "pico-cavity" that contains a nano structured gold bump equivalent to a size of one atom. The device is intended for the study of the interaction between matter and light. Researchers also aim to investigate the possibility of making the cavity molecules perform new chemical reactions that can help in the development process of latest sensors.

The creation of a very small magnifying device is indeed very challenging. Researchers say they "had to cool our samples to -260 °C in to freeze the scurrying gold atoms." Using lighted laser light shone on the pico-cavities, the scientists were able to observe the real-time movement of an atom.

The world's smallest magnifying glass can be used in further studies of light-catalysed chemical reactions and smaller components capable of building complex molecules. Further, it can be used in the possible development of opto-mechanical data storage devices that can write and read information with the use of light and store it as a molecular vibration.

To know more about nanotechnology and its applications, watch the video below.