X-ray laser can convert diamond to graphite: Study

 

It is a decisive step forward in understanding the fundamental behaviour of solids when they absorb energetic radiation, researchers said. 

Scientists have for the first time turned diamond into graphite using ultra-short flashes of an X-ray laser. It is a decisive step forward in understanding the fundamental behaviour of solids when they absorb energetic radiation, researchers said. For the first time, the researchers including Franz Tavella from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the US, were able to follow the graphitisation in a time-resolved manner.