“I had the solution in five minutes, but it took me twenty years to get to those five minutes”

Awarded the 6th BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, physicist Harald Rose explains in this interview how his contributions to aberration correction in electron microscopy made it possible to observe matter with a level of precision previously unattainable. Rose describes how his theoretical and technological work overcame fundamental optical limitations, opening the door to the direct visualization of atoms and nanometric structures. These advances have had a profound impact on physics, chemistry, and materials science by enabling the study of properties and processes that had previously only been inferred indirectly. His reflections reveal how the combination of theory, engineering, and experimentation can transform essential tools for scientific research.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Laureate in the Basic Sciences category goes in this sixth editi

Awarded the 6th BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, physicist Harald Rose explains in this interview how his contributions to aberration correction in electron microscopy made it possible to observe matter with a level of precision previously unattainable. Rose describes how his theoretical and technological work overcame fundamental optical limitations, opening the door to the direct visualization of atoms and nanometric structures. These advances have had a profound impact on physics, chemistry, and materials science by enabling the study of properties and processes that had previously only been inferred indirectly. His reflections reveal how the combination of theory, engineering, and experimentation can transform essential tools for scientific research.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Laureate in the Basic Sciences category goes in this sixth edition to German physicists Maximilian Haider, Harald Rose and Knut Urban for greatly enhancing the resolving power of electron microscopy by developing aberration-corrected electron optics, a breakthrough enabling subatomic precision.