International researches, headed by the University of Colorado Boulder, have used a tabletop device to successfully produce the first laser-like beams of X-rays. The discovery could promote major advances in several fields such as nanotechnology, medicine, and biology.
A physics professor at CU-Boulder and a member at JILA, Henry Kapteyn said that for over five decades scientists have been devising methods to construct a cost-effective and compact X-ray laser that generates super-high-resolution imaging. Researchers can better understand the nanoworld by performing a single cell or chemical reaction with the help of such a device.
Co-leader of the research, Margaret Murnane said that in order to solve the large power requirement by X-ray lasers, the CU-Boulder researchers have designed a tabletop device that employs atoms in a gas to integrate over 5,000 low-energy mid-infrared laser photons to produce each of the high-energy X-ray photons. Due to the penetrating ability of X-ray wavelengths that are 1000x shorter than visible light, these coherent X-ray beams provide new potentials for comprehending the performance of nanoworld based on its fundamental time and length scales that will enable better design and optimization of advanced electronics, medical diagnostics as well as data and energy storage devices.
The findings were published in the journal Science dated 8th June.
Kapteyn said that the tabletop device generates a directed, radiant beam of X-rays that emerge as short flashes of light that is capable of imaging electrons’ motion.
Being a visible light, laser beams allow energy concentration, fostering several applications including laser surgery, Internet, DVD players, and more.
Source: http://www.colorado.edu/