SESAME

SESAME
Name	SESAME
Established	2017
Location	Allan, Jordan
Type	Synchrotron light source
Director	Maria A. Safronova
Affiliates	Member States

SESAME.

SESAME is a synchrotron-light facility located near Allan, Jordan built to provide advanced photon-science capabilities for researchers from across the Middle East and adjacent regions. Modeled on international storage-ring facilities such as CERN, Diamond Light Source, and ESRF, the project integrates scientific, diplomatic, and capacity-building objectives by bringing together scientists from states with complex political relationships, including Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. The facility supports experiments in fields ranging from archaeology-related studies to materials research, enabling collaborations with institutions like University of Oxford, Harvard University, and regional universities.

Overview

SESAME operates as a third-generation synchrotron light source providing ultraviolet, soft X-ray, and hard X-ray beams suitable for spectroscopy, diffraction, and imaging. The ring design draws on precedents set by Soleil and APS while its governance reflects models used at ITER and IAEA for multinational scientific infrastructure. Its mission combines scientific research, technical training, and science diplomacy, paralleling initiatives such as Pugwash Conferences and the Nobel Peace Prize-linked efforts that use science as a bridge between societies.

History and Development

The concept originated from a community of scientists and institutions associated with CERN and the International Atomic Energy Agency seeking to repatriate equipment and expertise from decommissioned facilities like the BESSY I storage ring and components from MAX Lab. Initial advocacy involved notable organizations such as the UNESCO and philanthropic foundations allied with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Construction began after agreements among founding members including Jordan, Cyprus, Egypt, and Iran; diplomatic milestones paralleled treaties like the Camp David Accords in demonstrating regional cooperation. The accelerator was commissioned with technical support and components from laboratories including ESRF, ALBA Synchrotron, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, culminating in user operations inaugurated in the 2010s.

Facility and Instrumentation

The facility comprises an injection system, booster ring, and a storage ring delivering beams at energies comparable to mid-energy light sources such as SPring-8 and Canadian Light Source. Beamlines support techniques including X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and powder diffraction (PXRD). Instrumentation was developed in partnership with laboratories like DESY, Fermilab, and Brookhaven National Laboratory, and includes monochromators, insertion devices, and detectors manufactured by companies and consortia associated with Siemens-era technology transfer and contemporary suppliers. The site features workshop and engineering spaces for accelerator physics training and local maintenance.

Research Programs and Experiments

Research programs span archaeology, cultural heritage, environmental science, and biomedical materials. Archaeometry projects have analyzed artifacts and pigments from sites connected to Petra, Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea Scrolls collections, using synchrotron techniques to probe composition and stratigraphy. Environmental studies monitor pollutants tied to industrial centers referenced alongside Haifa and Cairo, applying XRF and XAS for trace-element mapping. Materials-science efforts engage with universities such as Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Sharif University of Technology, and American University of Beirut for battery and catalysis research. Life-sciences experiments involve collaborations with institutes like Institut Pasteur and Weizmann Institute of Science for protein crystallography and structural biology projects.

International Collaboration and Governance

SESAME’s governance model is a council-based structure with representatives from member and observer states, echoing frameworks used by IAEA and European Space Agency. Founding members and later acceding states negotiate user access, staffing, and strategic priorities; observer status has been held by entities including CERN, European Union, and national laboratories such as DESY. The operation emphasizes open-access policies similar to those at MAX IV and promotes merit-based beamtime allocation administered through peer review panels composed of scientists from institutions such as Imperial College London and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Education, Outreach, and Capacity Building

A core objective is capacity building through training programs, workshops, and student exchanges modeled after initiatives by CERN and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. SESAME hosts schools in accelerator physics, beamline techniques, and data analysis in partnership with universities including University of Jordan and Ain Shams University. Outreach extends to museum professionals and conservators from institutions such as the Jordan Museum and Louvre for heritage science projects. Fellowship programs and joint PhD arrangements link regional researchers with laboratories like Oxford University and ETH Zurich.

Funding and Political Context

Funding derives from member-state contributions, international organizations, and in-kind support from laboratories such as CERN and DESY, alongside assistance from foundations and the European Commission. Financial sustainability has involved negotiations reflecting regional economic constraints and geopolitics comparable to funding discussions around Eurofusion and multinational science projects. Political contexts have both challenged and enabled SESAME, as diplomatic tensions between member states require careful governance and have simultaneously been leveraged to promote dialogue through scientific collaboration.

Category:Synchrotron radiation facilities