. 24/7 Space News .
NANO TECH
Scientists take nanoparticle snapshots
by Staff Writers
Argonne IL (SPX) Feb 12, 2016


Here are "stills" from an X-ray "movie" of an exploding nanoparticle. The nanoparticle is superheated with an intense optical pulse and subsequently explodes (left). A series of ultrafast x-ray diffraction images (right) maps the process and contains information how the explosion starts with surface softening and proceeds from the outside in. Image courtesy Christoph Bostedt. For a larger version of this image please go here.

Just as a photographer needs a camera with a split-second shutter speed to capture rapid motion, scientists looking at the behavior of tiny materials need special instruments with the capacity to see changes that happen in the blink of an eye.

An international team of researchers led by X-ray scientist Christoph Bostedt of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Tais Gorkhover of DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory used two special lasers to observe the dynamics of a small sample of xenon as it was heated to a plasma.

Bostedt and Gorkhover were able to use the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC to make observations of the sample in time steps of approximately a hundred femtoseconds - a femtosecond being one millionth of a billionth of a second. The exposure time of the individual images was so short that the quickly moving particles in the gas phase appeared frozen. "The advantage of a machine like the LCLS is that it gives us the equivalent of high-speed flash photography as opposed to a pinhole camera," Bostedt said. The LCLS is a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

The researchers used an optical laser to heat the sample cluster and an X-ray laser to probe the dynamics of the cluster as it changed over time. As the laser heated the cluster, the photons freed electrons initially bound to the atoms; however, these electrons still remained loosely bound to the cluster.

By imaging exploding nanoparticles, the team was able to make measurements of how they change over time in extreme environments. "Ultimately, we want to understand how the energy from the light affects the system," Gorkhover said.

"There are really no other techniques that give us this good a resolution in both time and space simultaneously," she added. "Other methods require us to take averages over many different 'exposures,' which can obscure relevant details. Additionally, techniques like electron microscopy involve a substrate material that can interfere with the behavior of the sample."

According to Bostedt, the research could also impact the study of aerosols in the environment or in combustion, as the dual-laser "pump and probe" model could be adapted to study materials in the gas phase. "Although our material goes from solid to plasma very quickly, there are other types of materials you could study with this or a similar technique," he said.

An article based on the study, "Femtosecond and nanometer visualization of structural dynamics in superheated nanoparticles," appeared as advanced online publication of the February issue of Nature Photonics.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Argonne National Laboratory
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
NANO TECH
New type of nanowires, built with natural gas heating
Ulsan, South Korea (SPX) Feb 02, 2016
A team of Korean researchers, affiliated with UNIST has recently pioneered in developing a new simple nanowire manufacturing technique that uses self-catalytic growth process assisted by thermal decomposition of natural gas. According to the research team, this method is simple, reproducible, size-controllable, and cost-effective in that lithium-ion batteries could also benefit from it. In ... read more


NANO TECH
Edgar Mitchell, astronaut who walked on Moon, dead at 85

The forgotten moon landing that paved the way for today's space adventures

ASU satellite selected for NASA Space Launch System's first flight

Lunar Flashlight selected to fly as secondary payload on Exploration Mission-1

NANO TECH
Opportunity climbing steeper slopes to reach science targets

Opportunity Reaches 12 Years on Mars!

4 people to live in an HERA habitat for 30 days at JSC

Sandy Selfie Sent from NASA Mars Rover

NANO TECH
Are private launches changing the rocket equation?

NASA tests solar sail deployment for asteroid-surveying CubeSat NEA Scout

Mars or the Moon

The Orion Crew Module Pressure Vessel Ready For Testing

NANO TECH
Last Launch for Long March 2F/G

China aims for the Moon with new rockets

China shoots for first landing on far side of the moon

Chinese Long March 3B to launch Belintersat-1 telco sat for Belarus

NANO TECH
Russians spacewalk to retrieve biological samples

Russia to Deliver Three Advanced Spacesuits to ISS in 2016

Russian spacewalk marks end of ESA's exposed space chemistry

New Tool Provides Successful Visual Inspection of ISS Robot Arm

NANO TECH
Space Launch System's first flight will launch small Sci-Tech cubesats

Initial launcher assembly clears Ariane 5 for its payload integration process

ILS Proton Successfully Launches Eutelsat 9B for Eutelsat

Pentagon Can't Overcome Its Russian Engines Addiction: McCain

NANO TECH
The frigid Flying Saucer

Astronomers discover largest solar system

Lonely Planet Finds a Mum a Trillion Km Away

Follow A Live Planet Hunt

NANO TECH
Body temperature triggers newly developed polymer to change shape

Making sense of metallic glass

Twisted X-rays unravel the complexity of helical structures

A deep look into a single molecule









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.