11:25, 22 February 2026

Russian Scientists Develop AtoTom Atom Probe

The AtoTom tomograph maps materials at the atomic level and identifies the chemical nature of individual atoms.

A team of researchers from National Research Nuclear University MEPhI and Kurchatov Institute has developed an atom probe called AtoTom (Atom Tomograph). The system analyzes the structure of materials at the atomic scale and determines the chemical identity of detected atoms. MEPhI’s press office shared details of the project with IT Russia.

Three-Dimensional Map

The instrument takes a tiny sample of material—a hair-like filament measuring 0.3–0.4 millimeters in diameter and 15–20 millimeters in length. Laser pulses then evaporate the sample in nanoscale portions, each containing one or two atoms. At the same time, mass spectrometry determines the chemical composition of the evaporated atoms. During analysis, the sample is kept in a vacuum and cooled to minus 250 degrees Celsius. A computer processes the resulting data to build a three-dimensional map of atomic positions within the sample. The system relies on high-performance computers equipped with graphics processors, as constructing such a map requires pinpointing the locations of several hundred million atoms and identifying the properties of numerous nanoscale structures.

“Researchers have long understood that a material’s properties depend less on its composition than on its structure. In recent decades, it has become clear that it is specifically the nanostructure that defines the performance of modern materials,” said Sergei Rogozhkin, a professor in the Department of Physics of Extreme States of Matter at MEPhI.

He added that such studies are especially important for chemically complex materials that may contain 10 to 20 components, including trace impurities present in minute quantities.

Could Challenge a U.S. Rival

The system is ready for deployment, and the team says serial production is possible in the future. Currently, only one U.S. company manufactures comparable devices worldwide. According to the developers, AtoTom matches existing systems in performance and offers two advantages. First, its production models are expected to cost about half as much. Second, MEPhI says it is prepared to tailor the instruments to customer requirements—for example, by increasing sensitivity to specific parameters—whereas the foreign manufacturer offers only standardized configurations. Over time, the Russian-made system could compete directly with its U.S. counterpart in the global market.

The instrument is assembled entirely from domestically produced components, aligning with Russia’s import-substitution strategy.

“We built the device’s components on our own instrumentation platform. One of the key elements is a high-speed detector. We developed it from scratch using Russian components, and the result is a fully domestic system. We can now source many components from different manufacturers, which does not limit the speed at which we can build the instrument,” Rogozhkin said.

The developers also created and patented the software used to control the instrument and process the resulting data.

The systems are expected to be in demand at leading materials science centers of Rosatom, as well as at major metallurgical and other industrial companies. Rosatom, in particular, requires such analysis to assess radiation damage in components of nuclear reactors.

Earlier, MEPhI launched a project aimed at training students to become an elite workforce in IT security, IT Russia reported.

The nuclear industry