Ultrafast X-ray sources

Article By:

Neil, George Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Jefferson Laboratory, Newport News, Virginia.

Parmigiani, Fulvio Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste, Italy.

Last reviewed:2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB110107

Sources of x-rays are an essential tool for scientists examining the structure and interactions of matter. X-ray sources already played this role before the scattering of x-rays from DNA led to the first understanding of the double-helix structure. With wavelengths of the order of atomic distances, scattered x-rays produce diffraction patterns of crystal lattices. In microscopy applications, the resolution is proportional to the wavelength of light, so x-rays can be used to see much finer structures than can be seen with visible light, even down to single atoms. In addition, the energy of x-rays is resonant with the core atomic levels of atoms, and so with appropriate photon energies, the placement of specific atoms in a large molecule can be determined. Worldwide, more than 10,000 scientists use synchrotron sources, storage rings of high-energy electrons or positrons (positively charged electrons), each year.

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