Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource

Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is a synchrotron radiation facility located at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, and is operated by Stanford University in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy. The facility is a National User Facility, providing access to synchrotron radiation for researchers from around the world, including those from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of California, Berkeley. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is a member of the Association of Users of Synchrotron Radiation and works closely with other facilities such as the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory and the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Overview

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is a third-generation synchrotron light source, producing X-ray and ultraviolet radiation for research in fields such as materials science, chemistry, and biology. The facility is used by researchers from a wide range of institutions, including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and California Institute of Technology, to study the properties of materials at the atomic scale. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is also a key facility for the development of new X-ray technologies, such as X-ray free-electron lasers, and has collaborated with institutions like Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.

History

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource was established in the 1970s as a second-generation synchrotron light source, with the first beamline coming online in 1974. The facility was upgraded to a third-generation synchrotron light source in the 1990s, with the installation of a new storage ring and insertion devices such as wigglers and undulators. The upgrade was supported by funding from the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Energy, and involved collaboration with institutions like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource has since become one of the most widely used synchrotron radiation facilities in the world, with users from institutions such as University of Tokyo, University of Melbourne, and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

Facility

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is located at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, which is also home to the Linac Coherent Light Source and the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests. The facility consists of a storage ring with a circumference of 234 meters, and a range of beamlines and experimental stations for different types of research. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is operated in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy and Stanford University, and is a member of the Association of Users of Synchrotron Radiation along with facilities like Diamond Light Source and Soleil. The facility has also collaborated with institutions like CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, and Institut Laue-Langevin.

Operations

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians responsible for maintaining the facility and supporting user research. The facility is funded by the United States Department of Energy and Stanford University, and is supported by a range of other institutions and organizations, including the National Science Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource has a strong user program, with researchers from around the world able to apply for access to the facility through a peer-review process, and has collaborated with institutions like University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Purdue University.

Research

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is used for a wide range of research applications, including materials science, chemistry, and biology. The facility is particularly well-suited for research that requires high-brightness X-ray or ultraviolet radiation, such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource has been used for research in fields such as nanotechnology, energy storage, and biomedical engineering, and has collaborated with institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, and National Institutes of Health. Researchers from institutions such as University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Georgia Institute of Technology have also used the facility.

Upgrades and Expansions

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is continually being upgraded and expanded to support new research applications and improve the performance of the facility. Recent upgrades have included the installation of new insertion devices and beamlines, as well as improvements to the storage ring and experimental stations. The facility is also planning for future upgrades, including the development of new X-ray free-electron lasers and coherent X-ray sources, and has collaborated with institutions like European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser, Free-Electron Laser in Hamburg, and SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free Electron Laser. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is working closely with other facilities, such as the Advanced Photon Source and the National Synchrotron Light Source, to develop new technologies and support user research, and has also collaborated with institutions like University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and Columbia University.

Category:Synchrotron radiation facilities