New Scientist reports that by using a motor to unwind a roll of sticky tape, researcher Seth Putterman and colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles recorded the electromagnetic emissions produced by ripping the tape from its roll at 3 centimeters per second. This action generated X-ray bursts of 15 kiloelectronvolts – each lasting one-billionth of a second, and containing over a million photons. Apparently, peeling ordinary sticky tape can generate bursts of X-rays intense enough to produce an image of the bones in your fingers.Putterman admits he is not exactly sure 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.”Exactly what drives this process is still a mystery. To read more,click here.
Researchers Find That Sticky Tape Emits Powerful X-Rays
