Free-Electron Laser goes over the rainbow
December 9, 2010 By Kandice Carter
Terahertz Spectrum
Somewhere over the rainbow of visible light is an untapped goldmine of research potential, where energy sources, novel materials and environmental research are possible. That goldmine may soon be open to researchers using the Free-Electron Laser at DOE's Jefferson Lab.
In August, the FEL delivered more than 50 watts of ultraviolet light, opening a new band of the electromagnetic spectrum for experiments.
The spectrum comprises all the colors of light separated into bands by wavelength. The FEL was originally commissioned as an infrared laser and is also a prolific source of terahertz light at long wavelengths. Just above these is the visible band: the familiar rainbow consisting of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. On the shorter side of the visible is ultraviolet.
Many research applications will benefit from the ultrafast pulses of ultraviolet light that the FEL can deliver at the wavelength of 124 nanometers (10 eV photon energy). While current sources of this wavelength of light are severely limited, it is highly prized for its potential science and technology development applications, including use as a dating method for samples that are beyond the reach of carbon-14 dating and studying the structure of novel materials, such as high-temperature superconductors.
FEL operators are currently testing the FEL's capabilities and are working to transmit the light to specially equipped labs for experiment.
Provided by US Department of Energy
-
From lemons to lemonade: Reaction uses carbon dioxide to make carbon-based semiconductor,
28 comments
-
Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments,
3 comments
-
SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station (Update),
41 comments
-
Climate scientists say they have solved riddle of rising sea,
30 comments
-
Scotland passes turbine test to harness tidal power,
40 comments
-
Water under pressure and temperature effects
8 hours ago
-
Flow, different liquid, pressure
8 hours ago
-
Dimensions and Degrees of Freedom
9 hours ago
-
Rotational Inertia of a disc
10 hours ago
-
How does B=μH really work?
10 hours ago
-
I need help with understanding of Inertia of a slender rod and plate?
13 hours ago
- More from Physics Forums - General Physics
More news stories
Landmark calculation clears the way to answering how matter is formed
(Phys.org) -- An international collaboration of scientists, including Thomas Blum, associate professor of physics, is reporting in landmark detail the decay process of a subatomic particle called a kaon – ...
21 hours ago |
4.8 / 5 (12) |
29
|
Is a classical electrodynamics law incompatible with special relativity?
(Phys.org) -- The laws of classical electromagnetism that were developed in the 19th century are the same laws that scientists use today. They include Maxwell’s four equations along with the Lorentz la ...
May 24, 2012 |
4.7 / 5 (14) |
30
|
Lying in wait for WIMPs: Researchers seek to dramatically increase sensitivity of Large Underground Xenon detector
Although it's invisible, dark matter accounts for at least 80 percent of the matter in the universe. No one knows what it is, but most scientists would bet on weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs.
May 23, 2012 |
4 / 5 (5) |
14
|
Hall effect at the speed of light: How can you demonstrate relativistic effects with your mobile phone?
The relativistic Hall effect describing objects rotating at speeds comparable with the speed of light has been reported.
May 21, 2012 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
8
Cloak of invisibility: Engineers use plasmonics to create an invisible photodetector
A team of engineers at Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania has for the first time used "plasmonic cloaking" to create a device that can see without being seen - an invisible machine that detects light. It is the first ...
May 21, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (16) |
7
|
Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse
(Medical Xpress) -- Regardless of an organism’s biological complexity, every encephalized animal continuously makes under-informed behavioral choices that can have serious consequences. Despite its ubiquity, ...
Dragon arrives at space station in historic 1st (Update 2)
The privately bankrolled Dragon capsule made a historic arrival at the International Space Station on Friday, triumphantly captured by astronauts wielding a giant robot arm.
High-speed method to aid search for solar energy storage catalysts
Eons ago, nature solved the problem of converting solar energy to fuels by inventing the process of photosynthesis.
It's in the genes: Research pinpoints how plants know when to flower
Scientists believe they've pinpointed the last crucial piece of the 80-year-old puzzle of how plants "know" when to flower.
Researchers solve structure of human protein critical for silencing genes
In a study published in the journal Cell on May 24, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists describe the three-dimensional atomic structure of a human protein bound to a piece of RNA that "guides" the pr ...
MIT researchers devise new means to synchronize a group of robots (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) -- For several years, roboticists have been working out ways to get a group of robots to perform synchronized activities as demonstrated most often in dance routines. It’s not just about trying ...
