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X-ray scattering and diffraction RSS feed

X-ray scattering and diffraction are techniques used to study the atomic and molecular structure of materials. X-rays are directed at a sample, and the resulting scattering patterns provide information about the arrangement and movement of atoms in the sample. X-ray diffraction specifically analyzes the interference patterns that result from X-rays interacting with repeating structures in a material, enabling scientists to determine the precise arrangement of atoms and gain insights into the material's properties.

Illustration of LCLS diffraction protein crystals.
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An international team led by scientists from two SLAC/Stanford institutes has devised a much faster and more accurate way of measuring subtle atomic vibrations...

Image showing laser beam energizing atoms in crystal lattic
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Researchers have found a new way to probe molecules and atoms with an X-ray laser, setting off cascading bursts of light that reveal precise...

Image - An X-ray pulse at SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source strikes a neon atom, causing electrons to reshuffle and then re-emit light at a slightly different X-ray wavelength, and also stimulating a chain reaction of amplified light in neighboring atoms
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A study shows for the first time that X-ray lasers can be used to generate a complete 3-D model of a protein without any...

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Scientists in SLAC's Integrated Circuits Department reach a new frontier in ultrafast X-ray science with intricately designed signal-processing chips that translate particles of light...

Four ePix100 prototype chips bonded in a test setup. (Brad Plummer/SLAC)
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Scientists used the powerful X-ray laser at the U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to create movies detailing trillionths-of-a-second changes in the...

thin samples of copper, iron and titanium
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Sean Brennan's decades of X-ray expertise keep pulling him back to SLAC even though he formally retired in 2008. During a recent visit to...

Photo - Sean Brennan is pictured here in 1997, his 20...
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The founding father of DNA nanotechnology – a field that forges tiny geometric building blocks from DNA strands – recently came to SLAC to...

Image - Six-sided structure formed by DNA strands.
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Daniel DePonte, a pioneer in finding ways to serve up a steady and precise supply of crystals, viruses and other precious samples for laser...

Photo - Daniel DePonte standing in experimental station.
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Understanding why proteins interact with certain specific molecules and not with the myriad others in their environment is a major goal of molecular biology.

Conceptual art showing proteins and viruses
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An international team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has proved how the world's most powerful X-ray laser...

a lysozyme structural model against its X-ray diffraction pattern
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If the excitement and enthusiasm of young scientists like Eric Verploegen could be pumped directly into the power grid, the world's energy problems could...

Eric Verploegen