A very small atom can cast a very large shadow. Well, not literally, but figuratively. Researchers at Griffith University have managed to snap the first image of a single atom's shadow and, while the dark spot may be physically small, the implications for the field of quantum computing are huge. The team of scientists blasted a Ytterbium atom suspended in air with a laser beam. Using a Fresnel lens, they were able to snap a photograph of the dark spot left in the atom's wake as the laser passed over it. The practical applications could improve the efficiency of quantum computers, where light is
