Sticky Tape Gives Off X-Rays
source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96139621
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Scientists have known for years that peeling up a strip of sticky tape can set off some subatomic fireworks. But in the current issue of the journal Nature, UCLA researchers prove that the X-rays released are both powerful and plentiful.
"There are a lot of X-rays," says Juan Escobar, a Ph.D. candidate in physics at UCLA. "There are enough that you can actually take a picture of your finger — an X-ray picture of your finger. It's very exciting. It's actually a little bit scary."
...The discovery has potential beyond its novelty, according to Escobar. Developing nations and rural areas where electricity is expensive could benefit from cheap X-rays. And with a little tweaking, Escobar estimates, his group could even improve the output "by a factor of 10."
"There are a lot of X-rays," says Juan Escobar, a Ph.D. candidate in physics at UCLA. "There are enough that you can actually take a picture of your finger — an X-ray picture of your finger. It's very exciting. It's actually a little bit scary."
...The discovery has potential beyond its novelty, according to Escobar. Developing nations and rural areas where electricity is expensive could benefit from cheap X-rays. And with a little tweaking, Escobar estimates, his group could even improve the output "by a factor of 10."
