How do you play a violin as tiny as a human hair? We’ve got the answer

Using nanotechnology, physicists at Loughborough University have just created the world’s smallest violin. I’m sure you are wondering why.

The “violin,” made of platinum, can fit in the width of a human hair, standing at just 35 microns long and 13 microns wide.

A micron is one millionth of a meter, and human hair ranges from 17 to 180 microns. Thus, this violin is as tiny as human hair.

The team created the microscopic violin as an homage to the well-known concept of a tiny violin playing for a person. This usually signals a lack of sympathy or empathy for a situation that someone finds themself in.

While you may not be able to play the tiny violin, the “violin” is, in fact, very small, but is more of a microscopic image than an instrument.

The process of creating the tiny violin isn’t as simple as it may seem, as various technologies and techniques are needed to create something so minute.

How physicists created the world’s tiniest violin

In Loughborough University’s nanotechnology system, there’s something called a NanoFrazor.

The University describes it as a “cutting-edge nano-sculpting machine” from Heidelberg Instruments, a pioneer in high-precision lithography and nanofabrication tools.

Lithography is the process of printing images based on the principle that grease and water repel one another, while nanofabrication is all about creating structures and devices at a nanoscale.

The NanoFrazor is described as a device used for “cutting-edge research and development.” Its applications span from quantum devices to biotechnology.

To create the tiny image, Professor Kelly Morrison, supported by Dr. Naemi Leo and research technician Dr. Arthur Coveney, started by coating a very small chip in multiple layers of a gel material called a resist.

“This coated chip was then placed under the NanoFrazor, which used its heated tip to burn the violin pattern into the surface layer,” Loughborough University said.

From there, the violin was etched onto the chip and an exposed layer of resist was dissolved, leaving behind a “violin-shaped cavity.”

While this process seems relatively complex, it only took three hours to craft the image of this tiny violin.

The final product is reportedly no bigger than a speck of dust and can only be viewed through a microscope.

While this might just seem like a bit of fun, this process reveals various possibilities when it comes to developments in nanolithography.

These experiments allow researchers to experiment with materials in different ways, which paves the way for the development of new technologies.

“Whether it's improving computing efficiency or finding new ways to harvest energy,” Professor Morrison said.