Peeling ordinary sticky tape can generate bursts of X-rays intense enough to produce an image of the bones in your fingers.
Seth Putterman and colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles used a motor to unwind a roll of sticky tape and recorded the electromagnetic emissions. Ripping the tape from its roll at 3 centimetres per second generated X-ray bursts of 15 kiloelectronvolts – each lasting one-billionth of a second, and containing over a million photons.
Putterman admits he is not sure exactly what is going on. "My attitude is to marvel at the phenomenon – all we are doing is peeling tape, and nature sets up a process that gives you nanosecond X-ray bursts."
Sticky tape can be used to emit powerful X-rays
Posted on Saturday, October 25 2008 @ 3:20 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
NewScientist reports scientists have discovered a new way to generate X-rays: by peeling tape.