n. However, with the ever- increasing demand for higher data rates and smaller sizes, the complexity of electrical circuits becomes untenable. This challenge can be overcome by replacing electrons with photons (units of light), since the wave-like character of photons would reduce obstacles such as heat and friction within a given system. "In a nutshell, photons move faster than electrons," says experimental team leader Gary Wiederrecht. "They are a highly efficient power source just waiting to be harnessed." "Using experimental and theoretical approaches, we were able to observe the interaction of light with the surfaces of the metal nanoparticles. We hope that this study will lead to the creation of optical technologies that can manip- ulate light with precision at nanoscale dimensions," explains Stephen Gray, lead theoretician of the Journal study. To obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the near field, the Argonne researchers used an advanced imaging technique known as near-field scanning optical microscopy. The nanoparticles, with diameters as small as 25 nm, were placed on a prism and illuminated with laser light, forming a near field that was detectable with near-field scanning optical microscopy by a nanoscale probe positioned close to the sample's surface. Optical scattering experiments were performed on isolated metal nanoparticles and arrays of metal nanoparticles. Electron beam lithography was used to uniformly place nanoparticles within 100 nm from one another. Using a special experimental setup, the team was able to explicitly map the near-field light intensity onto the three-dimensional topography of the metal nanoparticle arrays. Experimental results yielded a number of valuable findings regarding the character of the near field. The researchers found that an isolated nanoparti- cle would scatter light at a 20-degree angle from the prism surface. Further- more, the researchers found that arrays of nanoparticles scatter light at much smaller angles, an encouraging result for the use of near