Compact Neutron Source Takes First Picture

This is so cool! Compact Neutron Source Takes First Picture: http://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.044802 ..."Energetic neutrons provide an important tool for studying the properties of materials. The most intense neutron sources are fission reactors and particle accelerators, but they are costly to build and research groups compete intensely for access. A cheaper and more portable alternative is to generate neutrons from the interaction of high-energy laser pulses with a solid target. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico have now recorded the first radiograph with a laser-neutron source, a proof of principle marking the sources’ readiness for university labs."

Also see: http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v110/i4/e044802

The writeup in Physics World: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2013/jan/30/neutrons-on-a-lab-bench