Device could open up new areas of research on materials and
biological samples at tiny scales.
Researchers at MIT, working with partners at NASA, have
developed a new concept for a microscope that would use neutrons — subatomic
particles with no electrical charge — instead of beams of light or electrons to
create high-resolution images.
Among other features, neutron-based instruments have the
ability to probe inside metal objects — such as fuel cells, batteries, and
engines, even when in use — to learn details of their internal structure.
Neutron instruments are also uniquely sensitive to magnetic properties and to
lighter elements that are important in biological materials.