
Europe unveils world's most powerful X-ray laser - ourmandave
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/sep/01/europe-unveils-worlds-most-powerful-x-ray-laser
======
torpfactory
In one part of the article, they mention the laser obliterates everything it
images while in another also noting the increased pulse rate allows them to
create movies of the same reaction proceeding. Wouldn't they have destroyed
the reaction they sought to image? What gives?

~~~
zlynx
The journalist probably didn't understand what they were saying.

Maybe it is destroyed slowly enough that the reaction can complete first.
Maybe the laser has different power levels.

Have to go back to the source to find out for sure.

~~~
mchahn
I assume the video frames are each from a different reaction, or many many
reactions. Then they are combined to create a model of a single reaction.

------
anigbrowl
A 27x increase in pulse rate and data-gathering capacity is outstanding. This
will be like going from Eadweard Muybridge animations to HD slo-mo, and will
been a boon for biologists and materials scientists.

~~~
rowyourboat
270x. 27000 pulses/second vs 100.

~~~
anigbrowl
Yikes, it's not often you find a whole order of magnitude in the couch
cushions. Good catch!

