Dedication Ceremony
Crowds gathered inside the NSLS-II facility to hear dedication speeches
Although the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS-II)--what the U.S. Department of Energy hails as the "most advanced synchrotron facility in the world"--was officially dedicated last Friday at Brookhaven National Lab, scientists are already hard at work inside. Academic and corporate researchers alike will use the facility in the coming years to develop next-generation batteries, materials, and medicine. NSLS-II is a machine designed to make insanely insanely bright x-rays, as well as ultraviolet and infrared light, by zooming electrons in a circle at speeds that approach the speed of light and then bending them. The resulting beams are then harnessed by scientists to study anything from proteins to space dust, making the synchrotron a sort of super-microscope. Tour the $912-million facility in the gallery above.
Crowds gathered inside the NSLS-II facility to hear dedication speeches
Although the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS-II)--what the U.S. Department of Energy hails as the "most advanced synchrotron facility in the world"--was officially dedicated last Friday at Brookhaven National Lab, scientists are already hard at work inside. Academic and corporate researchers alike will use the facility in the coming years to develop next-generation batteries, materials, and medicine. NSLS-II is a machine designed to make insanely insanely bright x-rays, as well as ultraviolet and infrared light, by zooming electrons in a circle at speeds that approach the speed of light and then bending them. The resulting beams are then harnessed by scientists to study anything from proteins to space dust, making the synchrotron a sort of super-microscope. Tour the $912-million facility in the gallery above.
Robot Arm
At one of the beamlines, researchers use a robot arm (red) to load and switch out samples quickly and efficiently
At one of the beamlines, researchers use a robot arm (red) to load and switch out samples quickly and efficiently