Barcelona Light Source

A state-of-the art synchrotron light source will be built outside of Barcelona, according to an 8 March announcement from the Spanish and Catalonian governments, which are splitting the tab. Construction of the Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LLS) is anticipated to cost 120 million euros ($105 million), and the estimated running cost is €12 million a year. The facility is scheduled to come online in 2008.

The LLS will start off as a 2.5-GeV machine, with the option to upgrade to 3 GeV. Surface and materials science, structural biology, and chemistry are the main foreseen research thrusts. The LLS is the largest scientific project Spain has yet undertaken on its own, says Maria Asensio, a condensed matter physicist who splits her time between Madrid and Paris. “The whole scientific community is very enthusiastic,” she says. “This installation is designed to be an interactive project focused on stimulating relationships between academic and industrial laboratories.”

Spain is also involved in Soleil, a synchrotron under construction near Paris (see Physics Today, November 2000, page 47 ), although the level and mode of the country’s participation are yet to be decided.