Recollections of Erwin Müller's laboratory: the development of FIM (1951–1956)

The invention of field ion microscopy by Erwin W. Müller, 44 years ago, was followed by a few years during which it came to fruition in his Penn State laboratory, as the first atomic resolution microscopy. Recollections of those times, the people, the events — including a new look at the crucial day — and the thinking in Müller's laboratory are presented, along with some retrospective analysis considering the roles of evolution, chance and field evaporation.