Atom Model

The central sphere of the exhibit represents the atomic nucleus. Its deliberately small size emphasises that most of an atom’s volume is made up of the electron shell. In reality the nucleus is utterly minute compared with the space in which the electrons move.

The circle depicts the probability “cloud”. The deeper the colour, the higher the electron density — that is, the probability of finding electrons there. It is electrons and their density that determine the behaviour of plasma, its electrical and magnetic properties and the ways it can be used in technology.

The sculpture represents not only the atom in the classical sense but also a symbolic transition from atomic structure to plasma, pointing to the key role of electrons in plasma research, a long-standing focus of the institute.