NEW HOT PAPERS

Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

It describes some of the features of WSxM, one of the most commonly used software packages in the Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) community. People can download it for free at  and in this page there is a reference to the paper, so people know about it. We don't force authors to cite the paper when using WSxM but we do appreciate it when they do, and I think this is a way to say: "Thank you for making WSxM available for free" from most of our users.

Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

It covers a wide area of knowledge and methods. WSxM is a very complete application and the result of a strong collaboration between some of the best scientists in the Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) community and a wonderful team of computer engineers.

Would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?

It explains one useful tool for the SPM community. We have developed a software to offer powerful and easy experiments and data treatment.

How did you become involved in this research, and were there any problems along the way?

I joined this project during my degree studies. I continued working in the company after finishing my studies and some time later I became the individual primarily responsible for this application.

Where do you see your research leading in the future?

I hope that the number of WSxM users will continue to grow so that it may someday become the primary reference software throughout the SPM community.

Do you foresee any social or political implications for your research?

I think the software itself does not imply any particular social or political change. However, perhaps the working modes and experiments it supplies can change some aspects of our way of life in the future.

Ignacio Horcas
Computing Engineer
Nanotec Electronica S.L.
Madrid, Spain