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Machine to capture live pictures of atomic motions

it may now be possible to capture live pictures of atomic motions in a chemical reaction or marvel at a snapshot of early universe. An international research team is building two huge machines towards these.

"We have developed a novel microwave amplifier and ultra-stable microwave generator for one of the machines known as Laser-based Ultra-fast x -ray Source (lux) which will generate extremely small pulses of x -rays,' says Subal Kar who led a team at the department of radio physics and electronics of Calcutta University with John N Corlett of Centre for Beam Physics, Accelerator and Fusion Research Division of University of California, Berkeley, us. The ultra-small pulses of x -rays can probe and shoot atomic motions in any chemical reactions.

The radio frequency cavities (below) will take us back in time when universe was not transparent and help solve several mysteries