Seeing the Unseen: Laser Acceleration Technology Shows Microscopic Particle Behavior

Seeing the unseen: Laser acceleration technology shows microscopic particle behavior

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin's School of Engineering have built a powerful new machine that lets us watch precisely what happens when tiny particles—far smaller than a grain of sand—hit a surface at extremely high speeds. It's the only machine like it in Europe, and it took over two years to design and build.

Seeing the unseen: Trinity team builds game-changing particle impact machine

24.07.2025 - Posted on: 24 July 2025 The new machine, the first of its kind in Europe, allows users to visualise what happens when tiny particles hit a surface three times faster than a bullet. This information will enable engineers to make better materials and coatings for aircraft parts, medical implants, and for simulating intergalactic collisions.