Water and Diamonds

Water and Diamonds




...and a synchrotron radiation facility.

All A Woman Can Wish For! ;-)

Watching Ice Crystals Grow

Iced





Through hard x-ray we get another image of snow and ice. A bit different look than the snow crystals we are used to see. Still beautiful, though. :-)

At ESRF scientists can actually see how ice crystals form in-situ.

Silk Fibre Formation

Silk Science





Silk is an interesting material, not just because of its beauty, but for scientific reasons as well. Ah, the things we can do with fancy x-rays! :-)

X-rays

Synchronized* Synchrotron



The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble is one of Europe's greatest prides. With good reason. I am thrilled to learned that they will continue to shine - even brighter.

I love this place and what it stands for.





*12 European countries synchronize their efforts and focus it at ESRF. I have spend a substantial part of my career working for this organization.

Hydrogen Storage

Hydrogen Storage



Credit: ESRF

Understanding what processes that take place on nanoscale is of great importance when developing materials for hydrogen storage. Why do we care about hydrogen storage? Because we need to, the way we burn off all the energy in practically one go!!

Hydrogen in combination with a suitable storage medium could be an alternative fuel. The main aim for hydrogen storage materials is to obtain high hydrogen concentrations in a material that possesses suitable transport properties under ambient conditions.

Sharp Light

Sharpest Image - EVER!




Credit: C. Schroer/TU Dresden

This is an image of a gold nanoparticle as reconstructed from a diffraction pattern. The brightness is a measure for the thickness of the gold.


So you think it looks blurry? I suggest you reflect on the fact that it is a gold particle on a NANOSCALE! It is just awesome. :-)

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility - Grenoble




"A European cooperation in science. Eighteen nations work together to use the extremely bright beams of light produced by the ESRF's high-performance storage ring to study a remarkably wide range of materials, from biomolecules to nanomagnets, and ancient Egyptian cosmetics to metallic foams."

Supermicroscope
What is our planet made of? What are the processes that sustain life? How can we explain the properties of matter and develop new materials? Will it one day be possible to conquer viruses, predict natural catastrophes or eliminate pollution? These are questions that synchrotron radiation can help answer as it is a powerful instrument capable of resolving the structure of matter down to the level of atoms and molecules.


The three largest and most powerful synchrotrons in the world: Spring-8, Japan; APS, US and ESRF, Europe-France

Rotting Fruit

Rotten Fruit



Pears faster than Apples.

See the apple, too.

The rotting process depend on the pathway of oxygen in the fruits. Pears: interconnected channels. Apples: irregular cavities between cells. I like how they picture the interior of the fruit in BLUE!

Sneaky Old Snake

Extreme X-ray reveals snake legs!




European Synchtron Radiation Facility is the scene for the amazing discovery. Scientists have placed a Lebanese limestone in front of the higly focused and intense X-rays at ESRF, Grenoble, France. This is all it takes, folks. :-)





The legs! :-)

ESRF - Ants

Super Duper X-Ray Machine!



X-raying amber: The phase contrast micro-tomography employed at ESRF allows scientists to virtually extract the insect from the amber. This is a wasp from the family Falciformicidae.


European Synchrotron Radiation Facility


From my former life - I used to be part of the international management of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble. I have very good memories from Grenoble.

They discovered synchrotron radiation as a disturbing side effect at CERN. As an astrophysicist you know ALL about electromagnetic waves - including the fascinating synchrotron radiation (which may be described as highly intense and focused x-ray radiation).

Discovering dino bugs in opaque amber is one really cool application of the super duper X-ray machine! :-)