November 22, 2024

Beyond the Void: New Experiment Challenges Quantum Electrodynamics

The X-ray beam from the worlds biggest X-ray laser, the European XFEL, just becomes as clearly noticeable as in the picture in total darkness and with an exposure time of 90 seconds. In the HED beam chamber the flashes from the worlds largest X-ray laser must fulfill the light pulses from the ReLaX high-power laser operated by the HZDR in order to find vacuum changes. In this example, the ruler corresponds to the vacuum variations while the ultra-powerful laser flash bends them.Two flashes instead of just oneThe initial concept included shooting just one optical laser flash into the chamber and utilizing specialized measurement techniques to sign up whether it alters the X-ray flashs polarization. The definitive element: The clashing laser flashes affect the X-ray pulse like a type of crystal. Simply as X-rays are diffracted, i.e., deflected, when passing through a natural crystal, the XFEL X-ray pulse should also be deflected by the briefly existing “light crystal” of the two clashing laser flashes.

In the HED beam chamber the flashes from the worlds largest X-ray laser need to meet the light pulses from the ReLaX high-power laser run by the HZDR in order to find vacuum changes. In this example, the ruler corresponds to the vacuum variations while the ultra-powerful laser flash bends them.Two flashes rather of simply oneThe original idea included shooting simply one optical laser flash into the chamber and utilizing specialized measurement strategies to register whether it alters the X-ray flashs polarization. Just as X-rays are diffracted, i.e., deflected, when passing through a natural crystal, the XFEL X-ray pulse ought to also be deflected by the briefly existing “light crystal” of the 2 colliding laser flashes.