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Fermilab scientists are part of a team of global collaborators working on groundbreaking research to unlock the mysteries of the Kukulcán pyramid in Chichén Itzá using advanced X-ray analysis and cosmic ray detection. The research aims to gain insights into the construction techniques and purposes of the pyramid’s inner chambers which could not only confirm the existence of a hidden chamber but also shed light on the architectural and cultural achievements of the Maya civilization.

With up to a million X-ray flashes per second, 8,000 times more than its predecessor, it transforms the ability of scientists to explore atomic-scale, ultrafast phenomena that are key to a broad range of applications, from quantum materials to clean-energy technologies and medicine.

From Interesting Engineering, Aug. 9, 2023: For more than a decade, SLAC has been preparing to power the world’s most powerful X-ray free electron laser by getting electrons to fly through a new superconducting accelerator called the Linac Coherent Light Source II. Fermilab is one of the four national labs to contribute to the engineering of this powerful superconducting X-ray machine.

From Popular Science, Feb. 3, 2023: Recently, researchers created a full 3D muon image of a nuclear reactor the size of a large building which provides a safer way of inspecting old reactors or checking on nuclear waste. Scientists can collect muons to paint images of objects as if they were X-rays. Fermilab’s Alan Bross and a team of researchers are working to use this same technology to image the inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The facility, LCLS-II, will soon sharpen our view of how nature works on ultrasmall, ultrafast scales, impacting everything from quantum devices to clean energy.

Researchers from more than 50 countries collaborate with Fermilab to develop state-of-the-art technologies and solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space and time. Take a look at 10 ways Fermilab and its partners advanced science and technology in 2021.

Accelerator experts at three national labs have advanced the next generation of cryomodules, the building blocks of particle accelerators. A prototype built for the high-energy upgrade of SLAC’s LCLS-II X-ray laser has advanced the state of the art, packing more acceleration into a smaller distance, and could dramatically improve future accelerators.