beamlines
BEEM-laynz
Definition
Narrow, highly focused streams of subatomic particles or radiation (such as X-rays) used in scientific research to analyze the atomic or molecular structure of materials.
Etymology
A compound of 'beam' (a ray or column of light or particles) and 'line' (a path of movement). The term emerged in the mid-20th century to describe the paths of particle accelerators.
In the news
In the article, researchers used X-ray beamlines at a national laboratory to observe the chemical structure of ancient Roman concrete at a microscopic level.
Roman concrete piers built two thousand years ago along the Mediterranean coast are stronger now than the day they were poured, because seawater seeping into the volcanic ash mix triggers the slow growth of a rare crystal called aluminous tobermorite tha
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com