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| Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East | |
|---|---|
| Name | Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East |
| Acronym | SESAME |
| Location | Allanah, Jordan |
| Established | 2017 |
| Director | Ali Al-Shami |
| Type | International research centre |
| Coordinates | 32.0100°N 35.5310°E |
Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East is an international research centre that provides synchrotron radiation to support scientific, cultural heritage, medical, and industrial research in the Middle East. The project links governments, laboratories, and universities across the region and beyond, drawing on partnerships with global facilities and organisations to build capacity in materials science, structural biology, and environmental studies.
The facility, commonly known by its acronym SESAME, was established through cooperation among states and institutions including Jordan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Pakistan, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates, with technical support from organisations such as the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, CERN, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. SESAME occupies a unique role akin to projects like European XFEL, Diamond Light Source, SOLEIL, and MAX IV, and is compared to major accelerators such as Large Hadron Collider, PETRA III, and SPring-8 in ambition for regional scientific infrastructure.
Origins trace to initiatives propelled by figures and institutions including John W. Cornwell, Tony Blair-era diplomacy, and advocacy from scientists affiliated with CERN and ICTP. The founding agreement was negotiated with contributions from delegates associated with UNESCO, European Union, World Bank, Royal Society, and national science bodies like National Science Foundation and Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst. The provenance of hardware involved transfers and adaptations from decommissioned rings at facilities such as BESSY I and components associated with Bologna University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Key milestones included inauguration events attended by dignitaries from King Abdullah II's office, technical milestones guided by engineers from Paul Scherrer Institute, and beamline commissioning influenced by teams from Elettra and ESRF. Membership expansion paralleled memoranda signed with universities including University of Jordan, American University of Beirut, Tel Aviv University, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and research councils such as TÜBİTAK and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
SESAME houses a 2.5 GeV third-generation light source ring fed by a 22/800 MeV injector system similar in concept to installations at ALBA, ANKA, Campinas LNLS, Australian Synchrotron, and SOLEIL. Beamlines installed cover infrared, X-ray absorption, macromolecular crystallography, and tomography, linking experimental stations to detectors from manufacturers and labs including Oxford Instruments, Dectris, Pilatus, Quantum Detectors, and software ecosystems influenced by CCP4, PyMCA, and Savu. The control and safety architecture references standards developed at CERN and DESY with vacuum and magnet systems comparable to those at SPring-8 and PETRA III. Capacity for time-resolved studies, small-angle X-ray scattering, and microprobe mapping enables collaborations with structural biology groups at European Molecular Biology Laboratory, materials scientists at Imperial College London, and cultural heritage specialists from British Museum and Louvre-affiliated teams.
Research themes span protein crystallography relevant to drug discovery pursued with partners like Pfizer, Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline; materials characterization informing energy projects affiliated with Masdar and Saudi Aramco; archaeometry applied to artefacts curated by Jordan Museum, Israel Museum, and Egyptian Museum; environmental trace analysis for air pollution studies involving World Health Organization and United Nations Environment Programme; and semiconductor and nanotechnology investigations with firms such as Intel and Samsung. Projects include paleoclimate reconstructions feeding into work by IPCC authors, biomineral studies tied to Max Planck Society research, and forensic analyses supporting legal institutions like International Criminal Court under expert advice.
Governance follows a model established by intergovernmental agreements brokered with entities including UNESCO, European Commission, UNDP, and donor states such as Sweden, Germany, and Japan. The Council of Members comprises representatives from signatory states and research institutions including Weizmann Institute of Science, National Research Centre (Egypt), Sharif University of Technology, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Memoranda of understanding mirror frameworks used by International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility consortia and take guidance from legal precedents like those underpinning the CERN Convention.
SESAME runs training and fellowship programs in collaboration with ICTP, IOP, American Physical Society, and regional universities such as Birzeit University, University of Tehran, and Ain Shams University. Outreach includes workshops with curators from British Museum and Louvre, exchange programs with European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Diamond Light Source, and capacity-building funded by foundations like Wellcome Trust and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Student and early-career schemes echo initiatives run by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and Fulbright Program.
Beyond pure science, SESAME functions as a diplomatic platform analogous to scientific cooperation at CERN and cultural projects like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-supported initiatives, promoting dialogue among participants from Israel, Iran, Palestine, and Jordan. Economic benefits include technology transfer to industries linked to King Hussein Business Park and tourism boost connected to cultural institutions such as Petra and Jerash. The centre's existence informs regional policy discussions at forums like Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and contributes to capacity metrics used by World Bank and UNESCO Science Report.
Category:Synchrotrons Category:Science and technology in the Middle East