The world's most powerful X-ray machine was aimed at a droplet of water, and the results are spectacular. This first-of-its-kind video could also aid in uncovering a wide range of scientific mysteries.
The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, operated by the Department of Energy (DoE) and Stanford University, possesses the world's brightest X-ray device. The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) was used to strike liquid droplets with powerful beams of high-energy electromagnetic waves.
When the energetic beam encounters a jet of liquid, the high-energy waves pierce a hole through the substance. A portion of the material quickly vaporizes and expands, forming a pair of shock waves, resembling umbrellas. This is the first time this phenomenon has ever been seen through a microscope and recorded on a video in this fashion.
A current avenue of research is to utilize X-rays to drive changes in a sample of liquid, and measure those reactions using a second pulse of energy. This new experiment could lend significant insight into how these changes take place, significantly aiding research.
"Understanding the dynamics of these explosions will allow us to avoid their unwanted effects on samples. It could also help us find new ways of using explosions caused by X-rays to trigger changes in samples and study matter under extreme conditions. These studies could help us better understand a wide range of phenomena in X-ray science and other applications," said Claudiu Stan of Stanford PULSE Institute.
A stream of droplets reveals another phenomenon. When one drop of water is destroyed by the X-ray pulse, the remains of the liquid races back away from the encounter. Soon, it encounters another droplet racing behind it, merging with its similarly doomed companion.
Researchers were able to develop mathematical models allowing them to predict how the encounters would be affected by changes to jet diameter, drop size, and energy levels in the beam.
Researchers recorded two versions of the events — with liquid sprayed in a continuous stream, as well as released as droplets. The ultrahigh-speed photography captured images starting between one five-billionths to one ten-thousands of a second after the X-ray beam struck its target. A visible laser was used like a strobe light to illuminate the events.
Photography using X-rays allows researchers to record some of the fastest events in the world, a technology which may also be advanced through this new study.
A study examining the experiment was detailed in the journal Nature Physics.
