- What is Diamond Light Source and what does it do?
- What is a synchrotron? And what is synchrotron light?
- Are all synchrotrons the same?
- What is a ‘third-generation’ synchrotron?
- Diamond is a medium-energy synchrotron. What does that mean?
- How many synchrotrons are there around the world?
- Why do we need Diamond Light Source?
- Why is Diamond the size it is?
- How many people work at Diamond?
What is Diamond Light Source and what does it do?
Diamond Light Source is a synchrotron – a particle accelerator that accelerates electrons up to very high speeds. These electrons produce very bright beams of light which scientists use to study a wide range of material properties, structures and chemical reactions. There are a vast range of applications including structural biology, nanoscience, solid state physics, environmental and earth science, chemistry, engineering, cultural heritage and food science.
What is a synchrotron? And what is synchrotron light?
A synchrotron is a type of circular particle accelerator. It works by accelerating charged particles (electrons) through sequences of magnets to almost the speed of light. As the charged particles travel at relativistic speeds around the accelerator, they produce very bright light, called synchrotron light. This very intense light, predominantly in the X-ray region, is millions of times brighter than light produced from conventional sources.
Are all synchrotrons the same?
No. Synchrotrons fall into two major categories; high energy physics machines and sources of synchrotron light. They were first developed in the 1950s to study high energy particle collisions, and are still used today, for example the Tevatron at Fermilab and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. However, since the 1960s, synchrotrons have also been for exploiting the synchrotron light produced by high energy particles undergoing acceleration.
Diamond is dedicated to the exploitation of synchrotron light. Each synchrotron is optimised to produce light with a particular energy for specific applications – Diamond produces a 3 GeV (Giga electron Volt) electron beam, and is therefore classed as a medium energy synchrotron. Newer synchrotrons like Diamond are built on more advanced technology, and so are capable of producing more stable and brighter light.
What is a ‘third-generation’ synchrotron?
The generation of a synchrotron is related to the technology used to produce synchrotron light. Synchrotrons were originally developed as "atom-smashers" – used by particle physicists to study the basic constituents of matter. The synchrotron light produced by these machines was considered a nuisance. However, in the 1960s physicists began to think about using the synchrotron light generated by the particle accelerators as a tool to study matter. First generation synchrotrons were built primarily for high-energy particle physics, with synchrotron light experiments performed parasitically. Second generation synchrotrons were dedicated to the production of synchrotron light (the UK built the first of these at Daresbury in 1980), based on bending magnets. Third generation synchrotrons are dedicated light sources which use special arrays of magnets called insertion devices, which produce even more intense and tuneable beams of light.
Diamond is a medium-energy synchrotron. What does that mean?
All synchrotrons are optimised to produce an electron beam at specific energies – at Diamond this is 3 GeV (Giga electron Volt). This is classed as medium energy. Consultation with the scientific community identified the need for access to a medium energy source, as the UK already has access to a high energy source, the ESRF in Grenoble. Diamond provides this medium energy source, and due to advances in technology, medium energy synchrotrons can support a very wide range of applications.
How many synchrotrons are there around the world?
There are about 40 large synchrotrons around the world. Most of these are national facilities. A list of the main large synchrotrons can be found on the lightsources.org website.
Why do we need Diamond Light Source?
Synchrotrons play a key role in the scientific infrastructure of most industrial nations. They provide a facility for researchers to carry out a range of experiments requiring the bright beams of light that can only be generated in this way. After 25 years of world-leading science, the previous UK facility at Daresbury (the SRS) closed in September 2008, and Diamond took over as the national facility. Diamond allows us to generate beams of light at least 10,000 times brighter than those used at Daresbury - around 100 billion times brighter than a standard hospital X-ray machine or 10 billion times brighter than the sun.
Why is Diamond the size it is?
The size of the storage ring depends on the maximum energy of the stored electron beam and on the number and length of the straight sections which host the insertion devices that generate the ultra bright light. Diamond has 24 straight sections and has the potential to support around 40 experimental stations. The number and length of the straight sections is primarily a decision taken by the user community in the early days of the machine design.
How many people work at Diamond?
Diamond employs about 350 staff. Diamond will also welcome up to 2000 visiting scientists a year.