The newest scientific instrument at SLAC, the LCLS, has begun producing science! On a recent project at work, I was tasked with visualizing some of this cutting edge science.
It's an interesting process, wrapping your head around a process that happens on a scale infinitesimally small, in both size and time-scale. The LCLS's ultra-fast X-ray pulses were able to selectively strip electrons, one by one, from atoms of neon gas. By varying the photon energies of the pulses, they could do it from the outside in or—a more difficult task—from the inside out, creating so-called "hollow atoms."
This image was created using a mix of Lightwave 3d and Photoshop. It took a while to get it to the finished product; a lot of tweaking and such, with good feedback from my supervisor. I'm really happy with the final image.
This image was used in an official press release from SLAC:
http://home.slac.stanford.edu/pressreleases/2010/20100630.htm
And it was featured in a few science articles online:
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=16958.php
