X-Rays have been in use as a medical imaging technique since 1895 when Wilhelm Roentgen concluded that he could make photos of internal bodily structures such as bones and tissues by passing electromagnetic waves through the body. He labeled the phenomenon �X� because he did not fully understand the composition of the �rays�. Since that time, X-Rays have been the foundation upon which medical imaging technology and medical imaging equipment have been made.



Although the X-Ray (or radiograph) has long been a basic tool for medical imaging, this approach has always had the drawback that the photos made are not exact. The images require extremely careful analysis and interpretation. Scientists have been researching for years in an attempt to find a way to make the radiographic images better.

Recent breakthroughs in the growth of laser X-Ray's have led to advancements that have the ability to change the quality of radiographic images. The light distributed by a laser would be bright enough to create strong, distinct contrasts on radiographic images. Also, grouping the candle power of a laser beam with X-Rays might produce better photos by a factor of around one thousand. Medical imaging at this level of resolution could provide the technology to detect cancers and other abnormalities that cannot now be detected with current X-Ray technology.

Until the last few years, the amount of power needed to create the perfect strength laser beam for this application was so massive that it was unrealistic to even try. However, researchers at the University of Colorado in Boulder have developed a way to make mighty laser beams from a reasonably sized source of power. This makes laser X-Ray technology a practical reality.

The research team used a laser beam to set forth atoms from argon. Argon is a stable chemical element. The resulting radiation of X-Rays was not strong enough to be of use. The team then shot the atoms back into the argon, causing a larger, more compatible stream of X-Rays of big enough size to be of use. This �boomerang� method is now being fingered to generate a highly regular, very mighty source of X-Rays, grouped with laser beams.

The method is not yet ready for application in the clinical setting. More examining is necessary to extend the method into the hard X-Ray area of the electromagnetic spectrum. When the task at hand has been overcome, the commercial laser X-Ray will come next.

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