Press release on behalf of the American Standards Institute
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A prototype microscope, which uses neutrons instead of light to "see" magnified images, has been unveiled at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Ultimately, neutron microscopy may offer some advantages over imaging methods that use visible light, X-rays, and electrons, such as better contrast in biological samples.
The imaging process, described in an article in the July 19 issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters, involves firing a focused neutron beam at the sample. The pattern of neutrons passing through the sample reflects the internal structure of the sample. The neutrons are aimed at a row of aluminum plates, on which niches are scattered. Each alcove plate acts as a weak focusing lens for neutrons and deflects their trajectory slightly towards bridging parts. The image is then produced in a neutron detector. Adelphi Technologies Inc. of San Carlos, California, USA, designed and introduced the microscope with the help of NIST scientists, who routinely use multiple lenses to focus neutrons in other studies.
Basically, the ability of neutrons to provide a higher resolution than visible light, because their wavelengths are shorter - about 1 nanometer compared to 400-700 nanometers of visible light. In this demonstration at NIST's Center for Neutron Research, the microscope produced a resolution of 0.5 millimeters and a magnification of only 10 times. However, it is hoped that Adelphi will substantially improve the resolution of the image with the help of research and also improve the accuracy of the lenses. In addition, the company hopes to build a compact neutron source suitable for laboratory use.
Furthermore, neutrons have some unique advantages. Unlike other imaging methods, neutrons interact strongly with hydrogen, which is a major component of biological tissues, which are mainly composed of carbohydrates and water. Also, neutrons easily penetrate through research samples and therefore reduce the need to process the sample, compared to other methods, which require cutting into thin pieces, staining or fixing the sample.
Stanford University also participated in the study, which was partially funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE).
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Dikla Oren
The press release
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