discovered_01_2013

discovered 01.13 FOCUS WWW.Hzdr.DE ELBE, the HZDR's new Center for High-Power Radiation Sources, combines two high-intensity lasers with an electron linear accelerator that produces a whole spectrum of secondary radiation. And you could take this quite literally: The building recently underwent extensive expansion and at this point offers optimal conditions for coupling laser light and the ELBE electron beam to produce brilliant, hard X-rays to allow for the in-depth study of matter. Ph.D. student Axel Jochmann’s and scientific associate Dr. Arie Irman’s research group registered its first major success back in September 2011. Still, it wasn’t quite perfect as the vacuum chamber that was set up for the experiments was intended as a prototype and first and foremost was meant to demonstrate the project’s feasibility - which the junior researchers UNIVERSAL DEVICE: Electrons | pink | from the ELBE particle accelerator are converted into light in the infrared and terahertz range | red |, into X- and gamma rays | orange | and into neutrons | green | and positrons | yellow |. The PHOENIX facility for extremely short-wave and intense X-ray light (12) is one of the latest developments at the ELBE. X-rays are produced by coupling electrons and light | blue | from a high-power laser. // Brilliant X-rays are in demand - in the most varied of scientific disciplines. They allow for ever deeper insights into the structure of materials, cells, molecules, and atoms as well as biological, chemical, and physical processes of an extremely short duration. New X-ray sources are popping up all over the place, including at the HZDR, where researchers have successfully coupled an accelerator-powered electron beam with intense high-power laser light at the new PHOENIX X-ray source. The result: brilliance.

discovered_01_2013

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