Title: NIST Develops Dual Imaging System for Material Analysis
Summary:
NIST engineer Jake LaManna has developed a device that simultaneously uses X-ray radiation and slow-moving neutron beams for material analysis. This dual-modality imaging system, called NeXT (Neutron and X-ray Tomography), can reveal internal details of materials that X-rays alone cannot penetrate, while neutrons provide complementary information about lighter elements.
The system has been used to study various materials, including ancient rocks, cutting-edge batteries, and samples from the energy sector. Potential applications include optimizing natural gas extraction from shale, analyzing concrete composition, and improving fuel cell performance.
The research, published in the Review of Scientific Instruments, demonstrates the effectiveness of combining X-ray and neutron imaging techniques for non-destructive material analysis. While the article doesn’t directly reference quantum standards, the development of advanced imaging technologies like NeXT could have implications for quantum technologies in the future.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2017/11/nists-next-trick-will-fill-your-eyes-double-vision
Keywords: Quantum, Sensing, Metrology
