The Georgia Institute of Technology researchers said their findings might be used to identify and characterize structural and mechanical properties of nanoparticles, including materials of biological interest.

Georgia Tech experimental physicist Alexei Marchenkov and theoretician Uzi Landman have discovered how to use what's called the AC Josephson effect to detect mechanical motion of atoms.

"We show here that, in addition to being able to detect the effects of electromagnetic radiation on the AC Josephson current, one can also use it to probe mechanical motions of atoms or molecules placed in the junction," said Landman

"The prospect of being able to explore, and perhaps utilize, atomic-scale phenomena using this effect is very exciting," he added.

The complex research is detailed online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.