A NEW RAY.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 January 1926, Page 1

A NEW RAY.

O.Vli HCX.DR.ED TIMES POWER of x-rays. LONDON, Nov. 20. British scientists are deeply interested m the discovery of a new ray claimed" to. he 100 times more powerful than X-rays, and capable of passim' through 6ft of solid lead. 'I he, ray lias lieeu discovered by Dr It. A. Millikan, director ol the physics Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, and winner of the Nol>o! prize for physics. tor twenty years a mysterious radiation has puzzled physicists, and Dr Millikan has now traced it. His researclies have led to the deiinito conclusion that rays of hitherto iininutgiued short wave length exist which enter the highest atmosphere from the depths of outer space. Apparently these are born of the disintegration of atoms or of their transmu tat. ion.

I<> account for Lhem it i- necessary to imagine that space is filled with rays of one sort or another travelling in all directions with the speed of light. This. Dr Millikan says, is a conception witch is almost too powerful a stimulus of the imagination. Dr Millikan, in the absence ol a name, simply calls the new rays •‘penetrating rays.” WAITING FOB DETAILS. Sir Oliver Lodge told the “Westminster Gazette” that Dr Millikan is a man the scientific world respects, and described his discovery as very interesting. “I have no reason to he sceptical,” he said, “but if is the lirst I have heard of the discovery, it will be interesting to know whether the rays have any curative value. They may he too penetrating to lie of any value.” Professor A. M. Low said: “Quite a long time ago 1 was asked what was mostly wanted in the scientific world, and I replied, ‘Some method of wnve'length conversion,’ my point being that it is f|uito possible that there are other wave lengths and other portions of the spectrum absolutely unknown to

“Amongst these wares, of which there are many, you may lake one or two familiar examples, like the X-rays ami the rays of ordinary light, hut we have no reason to suppose that further discoveries will not, he made in that direction. “The X-rays at present have very valuable (positive properties, hid it does mil follow that a more penetrating ray would necessarily lie more beneficial, nor does it follow that a greater degree of penetrating will make this ray of value from the point, ot view of X-ray examination. The new wave length may give effects which are totally different from ilio-c of the Xrav. CAitliTF.lt WAV KB. “Tt would he a vitally imporlant discovery if-we could find some nieihod hy wliieli Ihe properties of the Xrny were more capable of being focussed . “It is possible flint the new wave may act as a carrier lor certain other waves. It has been suggested more than -once that the process of thought might give rise to certain types of rays, hut whether this is so or not is at present a mntlei- of conjecture. “Undoubtedly our knowledge of etherinl oscillation is at present most limited, in all probability many very strange discoveries will he made in the far future.” ...