Moving atoms

2013/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika

The free electron lasers, thanks to ultra-fast X-ray bristles, allow to film the moving atoms. These x-ray pulses are short enough to analyze the processes that occur in materials with a temporal resolution of femtoseconds, analyzing the movement of atoms, chemical reactions and phase transitions in materials.

However, to film these movements it is necessary to know precisely the ripening time and the temporal profile of pulses that periodically illuminate the system. In fact, a group of international scientists, including the researcher at the Donostia International Physics Center, has developed a new measuring technique at DESY, Germany's particle accelerator center, which has consisted of the complete temporal characterization of individual pulses using the FLASH X light-free electron laser. The team has been able to measure each X-ray pulse with femtosecond level accuracy (a second contains one billion femtoseconds). The technique developed in this study can be implemented in all X-ray free electron lasers in the world. The results have been published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Photonics.