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Capturing the strongest X-ray beam on Earth

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DE: Der extrem intensive Röntgenstrahl regt den Stickstoff in der Luft zum Leuchten an, wenn die Moleküle seinen Weg kreuzen. Trotz der extrem hohen Intensität des Strahls ist das Leuchten des Stickstoffs vergleichsweise schwach und wäre mit bloßem Auge nicht so leicht zu erkennen. So deutlich sichtbar wie auf dem Foto wird der Strahl erst bei völliger Dunkelheit und einer Belichtungszeit von 90 Sekunden, aufgenommen an der Experimentierstation FXE. EN: On these images, the X-ray beam appears as a thin blue beam - what we are actually seeing, however, is glowing nitrogen molecules which the extremely intense X-ray beam has interacted with and caused to light up as the beam travels through the air. Even though the European XFEL X-ray beam is extremely intense, the induced glow of the nitrogen molecules is, however, still relatively weak and not so easy to see with the naked eye. These images taken at the FXE instrument were only possible in complete darkness and using an exposure time of 90 seconds.

First images of the European XFEL beam

At European XFEL scientists use intense X-rays to take pictures of the smallest particles imaginable. The European XFEL X-ray beam is a billion times brighter than other traditional X-ray sources, but since X-rays are invisible to the naked eye, it is not usually possible to see the X-ray beam. Working together with a professional photographer, scientists at the largest X-ray laser in the world located in Schenefeld near Hamburg, have now managed to capture an image of the intense European XFEL X-ray beam. The pictures were taken as the X-ray beam entered the experiment area in the FXE instrument hutch at the end of a journey that started in a 3.4km long underground tunnel.

On the images published today, the X-ray beam appears as a thin blue stripe. What we are actually seeing, however, is glowing nitrogen molecules which the X-ray beam has caused to light up as it travels through the air thereby interacting with the molecules.

>Read more on the European XFEL website

Image: The European XFEL beam.
Credit: European XFEL

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