Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, May 23 (Reporter Liu Xia) According to a report on the British New Scientist website on the 22nd, the linear accelerator coherent light source (LCLS) of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States sent the strongest X-ray pulse ever. The pulse lasted only 4.4 trillionths of a second, but the power generated was close to 1 terawatt (10 billion megawatts), 1000 times the annual output of ordinary nuclear power plants. These ultrafast X-rays can be used to take more detailed pictures of the internal conditions of molecules and promote the development of basic physics and material science. Relevant research papers were published in the latest issue of Nature Photonics.

The linear accelerator coherent light source is an X-ray laser. Its working principle is to accelerate the electron beam to the limit speed, then use a series of magnets to make the electron beam "swing" and emit radiation in the form of X-ray.

In the latest experiment, Agostino Marinelli and his colleagues redesigned this process, so that each electron beam emits X-rays twice, making X-rays reach unprecedented energy. Marinelli pointed out that this method was supported by theoretical calculation in the past, but its effect still surprised them.

SLAC's James Klein pointed out that these ultra fast X-rays will help scientists take more detailed images of what is happening inside materials and molecules. It may also lead to new technologies to capture the ongoing processes of micro particles such as electrons, which have previously been difficult to record. For example, the use of this new X-ray can "film" the electronic behavior inside the molecule - first from the perspective of an atom, then from the perspective of adjacent atoms, which can fundamentally improve scientists' understanding of chemical reactions in systems such as batteries.

Francesca Kalegari of the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) said that tracking electrons so accurately can help scientists better control their electronic behavior, thus bringing more efficient materials for solar energy and other applications.

Concerned public account: People's Daily Finance

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