Harvesting Moving Atoms

"Big whirls have bigger whirls that feed upon velocity. Smaller whirls have smaller whirls, and so-on 'til viscosity."

...Big whirls.. etc

You gotta love it. Thanks

Great question!

I would recommend a little research on thermodynamics (either on the web or try your library, better yet).

It's a fascinating subject and it will open a new world of thinking for you.

The short answer is; yes and no.

Bits of atoms can be harvested to do all these things. We call it "electricity". As far as whole atoms - not that I know of.

A quartz chrystal when excited by electricity creates a vibration at a set frequency depending on the size of the material - This fixed oscillation is used in Quartz watches for the internal clock.

You are correct, and the vibrating atoms modulate the electrical signal, but they aren't harvested as such. It's the vibration of the crystal that's used, not the actual atoms. Unlike electricity, where actual particles move and are "harvested".

...but they aren't harvested as such...

IBM however, during the development of their "tunneling" electron microscope, managed (in 1993 I think) to manipulate individual atoms, yes, on a surface of an atomic lattice, and write I, B, and M, in nano-scale, and photograph it.

I know it sounds like an urban legend, but it's true.

Sure, and we use heavy ions in radiation testing all the time - firing them out of accelerators. But that's pumping gobs of energy into them, not using them to generate power or other useful motion.

The movement of atoms is also known as heat! If the atoms are moving fast enough we can 'harvest' part of that energy of movement, slowing the atoms down, that is cooling them. Every turbine uses atoms (and/or molecules) that have been 'shot' in an appropriate direction. The compressor section of a jet engine gets air atoms and molecules started in the right direction. Add fuel and burn it (middle section): the atoms and molecules are given maximum speed (highest temperature). These atoms and molecules then pass through the turbine, imparting part of their energy to the turbine and slowing (cooling) down.

Hi Guest, ever since the 1960s they have thought of designing a roket motor run by shooting atoms out of the back, the so-called Ion motor. This involves shooting Ions, charged atom particles out at the rear end of such a space craft once in orbit. The exeleration is minute but in the end the rocket will be travelling close to the speed of light, and as the fuel necessary to acheive this is quite minimal it would be acheivable in the future.

I wonder if they could collect the atoms in the front

or if there is enough around in space