Unpeeling Atoms and Molecules from the Inside Out (IMAGE)
Caption
The world's first hard X-ray free-electron laser at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory started operation with a bang. First experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source stripped electrons one by one from neon atoms (illustrated above) and nitrogen molecules, in some cases removing only the innermost electrons to create "hollow atoms." Understanding how the machine's ultra-bright X-ray pulses interact with matter will be critical for making clear, atomic-scale images of biological molecules and movies of chemical processes.
Credit
Artwork by Gregory Stewart, SLAC.
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