Scientists Obtain X-ray pictures Out Of Peeling Scotch Tape

efluxmedia. ^ | October 24th 2008

[Goonch]

Sticky tapes are always useful to have, but did you know they do more than just … stick? Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found out that they also have amazing properties, being able to generate enough X-rays to take an X-ray picture. The scientists explained in the journal Nature how they got confirmation that scotch tapes are indeed capable of producing X-rays.

[Goonch]

First of all, they created a vacuum, so as to eliminate any gas particles that would surround the tape, making the surfaces discharge before they actually managed to separate them to a point where the potential was large enough to generate X-rays, as Juan Escobar, one of the authors of the experiment, explained.

Then, they placed a small plastic window in the vacuum chamber, which is sensitive to high energy electrons, and allowed them to obtain X-ray images of their fingers. The phenomenon got an explanation: as the tape gets peeled, electrons are ejected, and as they reach the other side of the tape, they generate X-rays.

“Of the total electron discharges, only one in ten thousand makes X-rays,” Escobar explained. Although the discovery is truly remarkable, the scientists are still puzzled about one aspect: how come the scotch tape is so heavily charged.

The scientists said they will continue to conduct experiments on several other types of scotch tape, and at the same time, highlighted the importance of the discovery for countries where classically-generated X-ray technology is not an alternative due to extremely high costs.

[xcamel]

Here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2112643/posts

[stboz]

Duct tape....radiation poisoning.....we’re so screwed.

[Goonch]

Makes you wonder though

[Daffynition]

[mnehring]

Aren’t they describing the Casimir effect? If so, couldn’t they get the same results from any matter in a vacuum?

[Goonch]

Thanks.

No KEYWORDS no Search Terms

[xcamel]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search?m=all;o=time;q=quick;s=x-ray

[Goonch]

I guess

[Beowulf9]

What led them to do this study in the first place?

X-rays aren’t good for you, hence the lead aprons in radiology labs. So, wonder what effect scotch tape has on people who use it often?

[Goonch]

[Goonch]

"wonder what effect scotch tape has on people who use it often?"

Dunno. Can't be good though.

[Erasmus]

I presume that runs TOS.

[Goonch]

Either that or OS2

[Daffynition]

Did I burn the TurinToast?

[Goonch]

I think it's the toaster

[Daffynition]

So you say...

[Goonch]

Let's STICK to the subject

[Goonch]

[Goonch]