INTERMEDIATE-ENERGY LIGHT SOURCES
Increasingly, atomic scale information underlies scientific and technological progress in disciplines ranging from pharmaceutical development to materials synthesis to environmental remediation. While a variety of research tools are used to provide atomic scale information, synchrotron radiation has proved invaluable in this quest. The rapid growth of soft- and hard X-ray synchrotron light sources stands as stark testimony to the importance and utility of synchrotron radiation. Starting from just a handful of synchrotron light sources in the early 1970s, this burgeoning field now includes over 70 proposed, in-construction, or operating facilities in 23 countries on five continents. Along the way, synchrotron light facilities have evolved from small laboratories extracting light parasitically from storage rings designed for high-energy physics research to large, dedicated sources using the latest technology to produce extraordinarily bright photon beams. The basic layout of a multi-GeV storage ring light source employs periodic bending magnets to guide a charged particle beam around the storage ring. As the charged beam is accelerated in an arc, it produces a sweeping fan of synchrotron radiation that extends from the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum (<1 eV) to hard X rays (>20 keV). Quadrupole magnets keep the electrons tightly focused, and a radio-frequency acceleration system replenishes beam energy lost to radiation emission. To optimize the output radiation, a premium is placed on high current electron beams with small cross section and extreme position stability. Magnetic insertion devices are used to further enhance radiation output by a factor of 10 or more over bend magnet sources. The storage ring vacuum chamber includes exit ports to allow portions of the radiation fan to propagate down photon beam transport lines to optical systems and experimental stations. A typical storage ring features 10 or more such radiation ports. The photon beam from each port can be subdivided into several separate beams, each of which can serve an independent experimental station. All told, 50 or more scientific teams can simultaneously and independently conduct research using intense photon beams from a single intermediate-energy synchrotron radiation facility.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 808712
- Report Number(s):
- SLAC-PUB-9600; TRN: US0302581
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 25 Nov 2002
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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