Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-05-06
New Device Moy Picture
Processes Inside on Atom
l. al Va Fh>ssS,ss. ns> err Els~sr~s
Nethod al shadow Fasesnxssehy
Es TA~mmt 4, Hsatv

By TA~~ma 4. Hs.Ev
Pscssar~s are s~gax ,& - assa tAAr -
SOFA q: 8 rns1ssagta u. s e~sossa n Ike urs.
v~rsaty 81 v$-K1n&a r. AAncsAsass
This rvsats frvrs - er*sAegseza+sf ~
esv,e~ ~ I>s. /. n srsa6.y Ard ~ Rsas~,
~ wnAh Es4asrs ~ 80 IFoa s~AaaA sssAeea
this interval apart ssrs&sez asgess a sAss@-s
Tne rA~egcas fap - u Photographic asass
wser~ they assssacv > knaae~ raesssx*AsA 80
snythsnK IN tas sas IRE ps4ax zgss es tHs
sAacew Photograph rss snsasey saa Aesr,
explain. il cute saml1as "a tas9 ~ tAs x-ras.
The actual esvbee = Guile srxhAssa3 eat q
promises 10 have Important asss n 49,
roraes F.osssnas faF Ire nrsa t3rAs 10 pssaiS-
graph sasne Of Tire processes insadx a. asSas
In the process Q! AtaSnhe uknsxnatas3oN u
e1enensS II waa exnlAInea. us4tscn - as
soso~c BY the nasaeta 81 so stesn Ets
fesaceEs lhe naeAss4s unstable ane aftre IS
q minute frAgSieu Of a secona II sAr4e~sts
ard changes Into another slssnsay
With the shadow ptassaSsagh ss< aEtavs
II may BE- possaele 10 Sc, . rsegasr q ll}a
event especially the state at ne aicsn sa.sG
before explosion The atom staxit et ees4Fse
is far too minute "a Ne photographer ts}t
the process which takes raAew can D. ~.
terpEtted from the picture Tsas teShasaus
also may prove az value in shsStng pre-
eesses instds Twins cell
sN&fk ffWGHE&s FAtN~@
The electron naiS~s are produced sy sH
electro spark and are srwatis accelerated A.
they pass across the vacuum and thrceEs
a thin aluminium window outside Of ~hisn
the Photographic plate is placed 80 powwt.
full are the pulsss that the eleciTnn eeansS
moved several yards through the cir outside
the window
possibility Is the production Of vtyv
powerful N-TaSs By allowing tire heam 20
strike = tungsten target just euiAtes Ire
window. The device may prove al value IN
measuring the precise velocity ol lskhG
through nhosographing . rotating m4rTus
whiried 81 many thousands oi tes alutlons
per second
The device works very welt In principle,
the University Of Virginia nhvMciSta kAs
and is precise Uses ~iii depend en- needs
arising in other lahorstosies Il pramiSs
10 be one of the mosG powerful tacts .Arr
devised for study Of atomic behavior.
mirror Suspended by q magnet IN o
vacuum and rotating 800 900 time. q second
probably the greatest speed ever attained
on earth~-has been developed al the I'm.
versity Of Virginia laboratory.
II Ia by far The closest approach Ia PEI
petusl motion ever attained iosinE less
than one per cent OF Its velocity IN 10
hours. This Is due 10 the fact thai friction
has virtually been eliminated. II cannot
be overcome entirely because . perfect vac
uum Is unattainabie. But the rotating
mirror has no contact with ANYTHING but the
few gas molecules which remain In = highly
evacuated tube.
The magnet. an electric coll Is abovs the
mirror. The latter would b. pulled into -
by the magnetic attraction but for an "a
tremely novel device OF profS, Jesse ".
Beams and l., b Snoddy Of The university
staff. The current through The coll II kept
fiuetuatIng by q beam of lght directed
against the mirror. The balance II 20 per.
fected that not the slightest uemof can
be observed with q microscope.
Buiids Centrifugal Fssce.
The weight OF the rotating mirror Ia
35th- thousandth of a gram. There are about
30 grams in an ounce In its rotation Il
builds up a eentflfusai force throwing oh.
jects away from the center OF rotation which
In half billion times greater than the
force OF gravity which holds bodies to-
gether The speed of rotation Is constant
within one part in 90. 900 0oo--thAt IA, this -
as good a timskeeper a. the best quarts
crystal clocks such as thoss ussd 81 the
Naval Observatory for keeping the time Of
the Nation.
This device represents the latest develop.
ment In the ultra-csntrifuge q tool Of In.
estimable value In biological and physical
research. which has largely been developed
by the Virginia physicists AMONG the usss
being made OF Il st present are measure
ment OF the speed OF iight through waisr.
II Is known that light moves somsShA, more
slowly through water than through air and
that light of different eoiors moves Of dill
ferent speeds.
II may also BE- ussd. II h hoRed. for
measuring more accurately thanAM before
the absolute value Of the spe llFht
Experiments are beina made VI be TINS
taken by lisht, moving approx isa.-
900 miles second. 10 cover n Of 30
feet The difreuiis. IT VAS |nsd, Is
10 measure a 6o-foot length prscs 10 that
the exact timing will have any . neanes.
The mirror might be rrplAe BY anv
other liEht rotating object II Ia bsetsd In
prove OF great value in certain 80 nj en-
tremely delicate biological sorl sush 80
the removal OF thin films frnsW surfaces
OF liquids.