Muons are constantly being created as cosmic rays collide with molecules in Earth’s upper atmosphere. With their ability to penetrate far into dense, solid materials, these cosmic muons are often used to image the insides of objects that are otherwise hidden from view. However, the flow of these natural particles is far too slow for the technique to become both fast and reliable in practical settings.

Through new research posted to the preprint server arXiv, a team including Madalina Dobre at the Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering in Romania has created images using an artificial muon beam for the first time.