Next-generation synchrotron fires up in Sweden
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029157
Nature : A new synchrotron x-ray light source built at Sweden’s MAX IV facility in Lund achieved its first milestone event on 25 August when electron bunches were successfully beamed all the way around the synchrotron’s 528-m-long outer ring. The electrons, whose circular trajectories cause them to emit x rays, are steered and focused by a series of magnets. Compared with earlier models, the new machine achieves stronger magnetic fields with the use of more compact magnets, which are also less expensive and use less electricity. The resulting intense pulses of x rays could be used in any number of laboratory applications, such as studying the chemical reactions inside a battery in real time or the structure of much smaller protein crystals than has been possible with existing light sources.