  Nanometer-sized columns of condensed water molecules are created by an
atomic-resolution force microscope operated in ambient conditions. Unusual
stepwise decrease of the force gradient associated with the thin water bridge
in the tip-substrate gap is observed during its stretch, exhibiting regularity
in step heights (~0.5 N/m) and plateau lengths (~1 nm). Such "quantized"
elasticity is indicative of the atomic-scale stick-slip at the tip-water
interface. A thermodynamic-instability-induced rupture of the water meniscus
(5-nm long and 2.6-nm wide) is also found. This work opens a high-resolution
study of the structure and the interface dynamics of a nanometric aqueous
column.
