Latest news with #SLACNationalAcceleratorLaboratory
NDTV
4 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
In A Breakthrough, US Scientists Accidentally Create Gold Hydride While Forming Diamonds
For the first time, researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California led an international team that successfully created solid binary gold hydride, a compound composed solely of gold and hydrogen atoms. This breakthrough occurred while the team was studying diamond formation from hydrocarbons under extreme pressure and heat. The study's findings, published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, offer insight into how chemistry's fundamental rules shift under extreme conditions, such as those found in certain planets or hydrogen-fusing stars. "It was unexpected because gold is typically chemically very boring and unreactive—that's why we use it as an X-ray absorber in these experiments. These results suggest there's potentially a lot of new chemistry to be discovered at extreme conditions where the effects of temperature and pressure start competing with conventional chemistry, and you can form these exotic compounds," said Mungo Frost, staff scientist at SLAC who led the study. How was the study conducted? As per the researchers used a diamond anvil cell to squeeze hydrocarbon samples to pressures exceeding those in Earth's mantle, then heated them to over 3,500°F with X-ray pulses from the European XFEL. By analysing how the X-rays scattered off the samples, the team tracked the structural transformations. The X-ray scattering patterns confirmed the formation of diamond structures from carbon atoms. However, unexpected signals revealed hydrogen atoms reacting with the gold foil to form gold hydride. Under extreme conditions, the hydrogen exhibited a "superionic" state, flowing freely through gold's lattice and increasing the gold hydride's conductivity. Hydrogen's light nature makes it hard to study with X-rays, but in this case, the superionic hydrogen's interaction with gold atoms allowed researchers to observe its effects on the gold lattice's X-ray scattering. This enabled the team to indirectly track hydrogen's behaviour, with one researcher noting they could use the gold lattice as a "witness" for hydrogen's actions. The gold hydride provides a unique opportunity to study dense atomic hydrogen in a laboratory setting, which could shed light on the interiors of certain planets and nuclear fusion processes in stars like the sun. This research could also lead to breakthroughs in harnessing fusion energy on Earth.
Scientific American
23-07-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
Superheated Gold Hits Temperatures Higher Than the Sun's Surface—Without Melting
Gold usually melts at 1,300 kelvins—a temperature hotter than fresh lava from a volcano. But scientists recently shot a nanometers-thick sample of gold with a laser and heated it to an astonishing 19,000 kelvins (33,740 degrees Fahrenheit)—all without melting the material. The feat was completely unexpected and has overturned 40 years of accepted physics about the temperature limits of solid materials, the researchers report in a paper published in the journal Nature. 'This was extremely surprising,' says study team member Thomas White of the University of Nevada, Reno. 'We were totally shocked when we saw how hot it actually got.' The measured temperature is well beyond gold's proposed 'entropy catastrophe' limit, the point at which the entropy, or disorder, in the material should force it to melt. Past that limit, theorists had predicted solid gold would have a higher entropy than liquid gold—a clear violation of the laws of thermodynamics. By measuring such a blistering temperature in a solid in the new study, the researchers disproved the prediction. They realized that their solid gold was able to become so superheated because it warmed incredibly quickly: their laser blasted the gold for just 45 femtoseconds, or 45 quadrillionths of a second—a 'flash heating' that was far too fast to allow the material time to expand and thus kept the entropy within the bounds of known physics. 'I would like to congratulate the authors on this interesting experiment,' says Sheng-Nian Luo, a physicist at Southwest Jiaotong University in China, who has studied superheating in solids and was not involved in the new research. 'However, melting under such ultrafast, ultrasmall, ultracomplex conditions could be overinterpreted.' The gold in the experiment was an ionized solid heated in a way that may have caused a high internal pressure, he says, so the results might not apply to normal solids under regular pressures. The researchers, however, doubt that ionization and pressure can account for their measurements. The extreme temperature of the gold 'cannot reasonably be explained by these effects alone,' White says. 'The scale of superheating observed suggests a genuinely new regime.' On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Project Scientist Chandra Curry works at the Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. To take the gold's temperature, the team used another laser—in this case, the world's most powerful x-ray laser, which is three kilometers (1.9 miles) long. The machine, the Linac Coherent Light Source at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, accelerates electrons to more than 99 percent the speed of light and then shoots them through undulating magnetic fields to create a very bright beam of one trillion (1012) x-ray photons. When this laser fired at the superheated sample, the x-ray photons scattered off atoms inside the material, allowing the researchers to measure the atoms' velocities to effectively take the gold's temperature. 'The biggest lasting contribution is going to be that we now have a method to really accurately measure these temperatures,' says study team member Bob Nagler, a staff scientist at SLAC. The researchers hope to use the technique on other types of 'warm dense matter,' such as materials meant to mimic the insides of stars and planets. Until now, they've had no good way to take the temperature of matter in such toasty states, which usually last just fractions of a second. After the gold trial, the team turned its laser thermometer on a piece of iron foil that had been heated with a laser shock wave to simulate conditions at the center of our planet. 'With this method, we can determine what the melting temperature is,' Nagler says. 'These questions are super important if you want to model the Earth.' The temperature technique should also be useful for predicting how materials used in fusion experiments will behave. The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for example, shoots lasers at a small target to rapidly heat and compress it to ignite thermonuclear fusion. Physicists can now determine the melting point for different targets—meaning the whole field could be heating up in the near future.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Trees Are Growing Rocks Inside Themselves, and It's Incredible
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Planting trees has often been seen as a way to combat climate change, but recent research suggests that this method of carbon sequestration isn't enough to offset what we're doing to the planet. Now, planting certain trees is getting a second look, as scientists have found evidence of food-producing trees capable of turning CO2 into limestone. The trees in question—three species of figs found in Kenya—could be well-suited for agro-forestry, as they'd provide both fruit and long-lasting carbon sequestration. Planting trees has long been touted as a major tool in the fight against climate change. And on the surface, that makes a lot of sense. After all, there's a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and trees store that carbon in their leaves and woody bark. But planting trees alone can't get us out of this mess. For one, large dark forests can negatively impact the planet's albedo (the ability to reflect sunlight back into space), and once those trees die, they release that carbon back into the atmosphere. Now, a new study presented at the Goldschmidt conference earlier this month in Prague shows that three fig tree species—Ficus wakefieldii, F. natalensis, and F. glumosa—found in the basaltic soils of Samburu County, Kenya, have a carbon-sequestering superpower. Of course, like most trees, these figs use carbon resources to build their leaves and other woody bits. But they also display a natural sequestration technique known as an 'oxalate carbonate pathway.' These are the first fruit trees ever discovered that take carbon and turn it into stone—specifically, calcium carbonate (a.k.a. limestone)—which is then threaded throughout its trunk. This makes these fig trees particularly adept at storing carbon, because even after these trees die, some of that carbon remains in these calcium carbonate deposits. 'We've known about the oxalate carbonate pathway for some time, but its potential for sequestering carbon hasn't been fully considered,' Mike Rowley from the University of Zurich, who was involved in the experiment, said in a press statement. 'If we're planting trees for agroforestry and their ability to store CO2 as organic carbon while producing food, we could choose trees that provide an additional benefit by sequestering inorganic carbon also, in the form of calcium carbonate.' So, how and why do these trees go through all of the trouble? Well, the trees first convert CO2 into calcium oxalate crystals, and then rely on specialized bacteria and fungi to transform it into calcium carbonate. According to the researchers, this increases the pH of the surrounding soil, which makes different types of nutrients available. To confirm how this limestone formed within the tree, the researchers relied on the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource—a division of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory—to investigate the nano-architecture of these trees and discern what microbial communities contributed to this sequestering superpower. 'The calcium carbonate is formed both on the surface of the tree and within the wood structures, likely as microorganisms decompose crystals on the surface and also, penetrate deeper into the tree,' Rowley said in a press statement. 'It shows that inorganic carbon is being sequestered more deeply within the wood than we previously realized.' Scientists have known about this oxalate-carbonate pathway for decades. The first tree found to exhibit such a behavior is called the Iroko (Milicia excelsa), a large hardwood native to the tropical western coast of Africa. But these figs are the first food-producing specimens to have this limestone-making ability. And they're likely not the only ones. 'We believe there are many more,' Rowley said in a press statement. 'This means that the oxalate-carbonate pathway could be a significant, underexplored opportunity to help mitigate CO2 emissions as we plant trees for forestry or fruit.' Planting trees just became cool again. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life? Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Record Smashing Electron Beam Delivers a Petawatt of Power in an Instant
Physicists at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the US have shattered the record for most powerful beam of electrons, cramming an ultra-high current of around 100,000 amps into an instant. At around five times the field strength of what could be achieved previously, the mind-blowing amount of energy in the beam's electric field at SLAC's FACET-II linear accelerator could push the boundaries on experimentation, leading to new discoveries in everything from astrophysics to materials science. The team's new technique for steering millimeter-long chains of electrons along a magnetic track allows them to squeeze the race down into a photo finish that delivers more than a petawatt of power in one million-billionth of a second. Particle accelerators have been a vital tool for physicists for nearly a century, using oscillating electromagnetic fields to nudge charged particles up to velocities that come within a whisker of the speed of light. As the particles change direction their own field shines with high-energy X-ray photons that can illuminate materials for high-resolution imagery. Place another wall of electromagnetism in front of this beam, the energy from the colliding fields could shake a variety of shiny new particles from the quantum foam itself. To create more intense flashes or light, or bigger collisions, more energy is needed; either by pushing the particles ever faster, or by ensuring all their energy is delivered in a shorter period of time. Since the electrons are already traveling at near top velocities as they surf on waves of electromagnetism, more speed isn't possible. By the same reasoning, forcing electrons at the back of the pack to press down on their accelerator and catch up to those in front isn't a solution. But there is another trick. Though they're all racing at the same speed, the accelerator's electrons are distributed along the slope of an electromagnetic wave as they surf down the tunnel, with some at the 'bottom' and some at the 'top'. Those at the top have more energy whenever they swerve. To force those at the bottom to slow, the researchers needed a way for them to pump the brakes a touch. One way commonly used to manage such a situation is the use of a magnetic obstacle that causes lower energy particles to take a slightly longer path, much as a chicane on an actual race track would force a less powerful car to carefully weave left and right while a car with more grunt could push straight through. By deflecting particles according to their energy level, the chain of electrons could bunch up and – in theory – pack a greater punch. There's just one problem. Every swerve on the track forces the electrons to shed precious energy in the form of a high-frequency X-ray photon. To help replace the lost energy, the team inserted into the middle of the chicanes a second magnetic device called an undulator, which pushed the electrons back and forth quickly in another direction. At the same time, a flash of light from a sapphire laser was introduced to control the spread of electrons. The timely mix of undulations and light shaped the distribution of the chain as it was repeatedly sped up and compressed, replacing a portion of the lost energy while forcing a number of the electrons to overlap within a space barely a third of a micrometer long. The end result was a powerful lightning in a bottle created with a technique that could be improved upon in future, potentially confining more high-speed electrons to an even smaller space. This research was published in Physical Review Letters. Sunken Continents Near Earth's Core Could Unbalance Our Magnetic Field Earth's Core Could Be Hiding a Vast Reservoir of Primordial Helium Physicists Create Lab-Grown Diamond Even Harder Than Natural
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Record Smashing Electron Beam Delivers a Petawatt of Power in an Instant
Physicists at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the US have shattered the record for most powerful beam of electrons, cramming an ultra-high current of around 100,000 amps into an instant. At around five times the field strength of what could be achieved previously, the mind-blowing amount of energy in the beam's electric field at SLAC's FACET-II linear accelerator could push the boundaries on experimentation, leading to new discoveries in everything from astrophysics to materials science. The team's new technique for steering millimeter-long chains of electrons along a magnetic track allows them to squeeze the race down into a photo finish that delivers more than a petawatt of power in one million-billionth of a second. Particle accelerators have been a vital tool for physicists for nearly a century, using oscillating electromagnetic fields to nudge charged particles up to velocities that come within a whisker of the speed of light. As the particles change direction their own field shines with high-energy X-ray photons that can illuminate materials for high-resolution imagery. Place another wall of electromagnetism in front of this beam, the energy from the colliding fields could shake a variety of shiny new particles from the quantum foam itself. To create more intense flashes or light, or bigger collisions, more energy is needed; either by pushing the particles ever faster, or by ensuring all their energy is delivered in a shorter period of time. Since the electrons are already traveling at near top velocities as they surf on waves of electromagnetism, more speed isn't possible. By the same reasoning, forcing electrons at the back of the pack to press down on their accelerator and catch up to those in front isn't a solution. But there is another trick. Though they're all racing at the same speed, the accelerator's electrons are distributed along the slope of an electromagnetic wave as they surf down the tunnel, with some at the 'bottom' and some at the 'top'. Those at the top have more energy whenever they swerve. To force those at the bottom to slow, the researchers needed a way for them to pump the brakes a touch. One way commonly used to manage such a situation is the use of a magnetic obstacle that causes lower energy particles to take a slightly longer path, much as a chicane on an actual race track would force a less powerful car to carefully weave left and right while a car with more grunt could push straight through. By deflecting particles according to their energy level, the chain of electrons could bunch up and – in theory – pack a greater punch. There's just one problem. Every swerve on the track forces the electrons to shed precious energy in the form of a high-frequency X-ray photon. To help replace the lost energy, the team inserted into the middle of the chicanes a second magnetic device called an undulator, which pushed the electrons back and forth quickly in another direction. At the same time, a flash of light from a sapphire laser was introduced to control the spread of electrons. The timely mix of undulations and light shaped the distribution of the chain as it was repeatedly sped up and compressed, replacing a portion of the lost energy while forcing a number of the electrons to overlap within a space barely a third of a micrometer long. The end result was a powerful lightning in a bottle created with a technique that could be improved upon in future, potentially confining more high-speed electrons to an even smaller space. This research was published in Physical Review Letters. Sunken Continents Near Earth's Core Could Unbalance Our Magnetic Field Earth's Core Could Be Hiding a Vast Reservoir of Primordial Helium Physicists Create Lab-Grown Diamond Even Harder Than Natural
