X-ray techniques comprise a range of experimental methods that exploit the interaction of X-ray photons with matter to probe structural, electronic, and compositional properties across length scales from atomic to macroscopic. Major classes include X-ray diffraction (single-crystal, powder, and small- or wide-angle scattering) for determining crystallographic and nanoscale structure; X-ray spectroscopy (XANES, EXAFS, XPS) for probing oxidation states, local coordination, and electronic structure; and X-ray imaging and tomography for spatially resolved density and phase-contrast mapping. These techniques rely on well-characterized X-ray sources, monochromators, detectors, and often synchrotron or free-electron laser facilities to achieve high brilliance, energy tunability, temporal resolution, and quantitative analysis.
Synchrotron radiation sources generate highly brilliant light pulses, ranging from infrared to hard X-rays, which can be used to gain deep insights into complex materials.
Condensed Matter
Dec 2, 2025
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Speed matters. When an X-ray photon excites an atom or ion, making a core electron jump onto a higher energy level, a short-lived window of opportunity opens. For just a few femtoseconds, before an electron fills the void ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 29, 2025
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107
University of Houston researchers developed a new X-ray imaging method capable of revealing hidden features in a single shot, a breakthrough that could advance cancer detection, disease monitoring, security screening and ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 25, 2025
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Whether it's a sprained ankle or a backpack at the airport, X-ray images are an everyday occurrence in many areas. Empa researchers at the Center for X-Ray Analytics have succeeded in taking images that are far less commonplace: ...
Space Exploration
Nov 25, 2025
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The understanding of complex many-body dynamics in laser-driven polyatomic molecules is crucial for any attempt to steer chemical reactions by means of intense light fields. Ultrashort and intense X-ray pulses from accelerator-based ...
General Physics
Nov 21, 2025
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A particle accelerator that produces intense X-rays could be squeezed into a device that fits on a table, my colleagues and I have found in a new research project.
Optics & Photonics
Nov 13, 2025
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301
In the world of optics, tiny structures called microcavities—often no wider than a human hair—play a crucial role in technologies ranging from lasers to sensors.
Optics & Photonics
Nov 6, 2025
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What happens when you squeeze DNA? Can pressure reveal something about how our genetic material is packed, protected, and accessed?
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 20, 2025
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X-ray beams aren't used just by doctors to see inside your body and tell whether you have a broken bone. More powerful beams made up of very short flashes of X-rays can help scientists peer into the structure of individual ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 15, 2025
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When German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays in the late 1800s while experimenting with cathode ray tubes, it was a breakthrough that transformed science and medicine. So much so that the basic concept remains ...
Optics & Photonics
Sep 18, 2025
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