Gerard DVD Kleywegt wrote:
Congratulations, James. But surely you could have found a better
example of medical imaging? For instance, here:
http://www.ibeatyou.com/competition/867945/craziest-x-ray/entry/be24b3/coke-bottle
--dvd
Unfortunately, (unlike the infamous coke bottle image), this medical
image is not fake. The uppermost screw is now out and I am thinking of
making a keychain or something out of it. The other two stay in my
fibula forever, so I am "permanently screwed". The diffraction pattern
is real as well (and also mine). Multiplying the two together is the
only "fake" thing I did. Original images are here:
http://bl831.als.lbl.gov/~jamesh/JSR_cover/
In actual fact, putting one's foot into a 12 keV x-ray beam would just
give you a foot-shaped shadow. The penetration depth of 1 A x-rays into
crystals and crystallographers alike is only about 4 mm (details in
Holton, JSR 2009). However, if we ever build a 100 keV diffraction
beamline, then images such as this will become possible.
I am proud to say that despite the slippery sidewalk I did make it to
the final morning session of RD5. My ortho surgeon tells me that it was
a bad idea to finish that walk, but oh well, it was worth it to see the
talks. I did miss the organizational meeting at the end, but it is my
understanding that most of the attendees were of the opinion that
putting my x-rays on the cover of the special issue was a "brilliant"
idea. I'm glad the JSR editors agreed.
-James Holton
MAD Scientist
