Flow visualization in a scanning electron microscope scale

This paper describes a method of visualizing the two-dimensional flow around small bodies by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The advantages, compared to light microscopic methods, are, for example, a greater distance between objective lens and object, a higher depth of focus and the possibility of observing smaller details. The disadvantages are the restriction to certain fluids and the expensive equipment. The described method may be important for the investigation of stationary objects as well as that of unsteady flow. In the near future we shall try to visualize three dimensional flow in a scanning electron microscope scale.