This paper by Truong and Handel examines 1/f performance limits of scanning tunneling microscopes, presented at ICNF 2009. The research analyzes how quantum 1/f noise in the tunneling current between STM tip and sample establishes fundamental limits on imaging resolution, spectroscopic sensitivity, and minimum detectable signal for atomic-scale measurements, with implications for understanding achievable performance in scanning probe microscopy, single-atom manipulation, and nanoscale characterization of electronic and structural properties.