1. Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a large machine (about the size of a football field) that accelerates electrons to
almost the speed of light. As the electrons are deflected through magnetic fields they create
extremely bright light.
The light is channeled down beam lines to experimental workstations where it is used for
research. A synchrotron uses powerful magnets and radio frequency waves to accelerate charged
particles. The powerful magnet and radio frequency waves accelerate negatively charged
electron along a stainless steel tube, where they reach high speed. As the magnets are turned on
and off, electrons get pulled along the ring of tubes. Since the fast-moving electrons emit a
continuous spectrum of light, with various wavelengths and strength, scientists can pick
whatever wavelength they need for their experiments e.g. visible light, ultraviolet light or X-rays
(soft or hard x-rays).
Synchrotron Light
Synchrotron Light is the electromagnetic radiation emitted when charged electrons, moving at
velocities close to the speed of light, are forced to change direction by magnetic fields. This
electromagnetic radiation is emitted in a narrow cone in the forward direction, at tangent to the
particle’s orbit. Synchrotron light is unique in its intensity and brilliance (see the picture and the
table below).
Source: Canadian Light Source website

2. Another uniqueness of synchrotron light is that it can be generated across the range of the
electromagnetic spectrum including visible, infra-red, ultra-violet, 'soft' and 'hard' x-ray and
microwaves. Synchrotron scientists are trying to push synchrotron light farther into the X-ray
and microwave regions and the brightness has improved over years as shown in the picture
above.
The table below shows the brightness of synchrotron light compared to other lights. Brightness is
measured by roughly calculating the number of photons that strike a 1mm² samples during one
second exposure.
Comparative brightness of lights from various sources
Type of light Photons per second per mm2
Synchrotron Light 10 000 000 000 000 000 000
Sunlight 10 000 000 000 000
Candle 1 000 000 000
Medical X-ray 10 000 000
Other useful properties of synchrotron light are:
- high energy beams to penetrate deeper into matter
- small wavelengths permit the studying of tiny features, e.g. bonds in molecules; Nano scale
objects
- synchrotron beams can be coherent and/or polarized, permitting specific experiments
- the synchrotron beam can be made to flash at a very high frequency, giving the light a time
structure.
Synchrotron light and electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum below shows wavelengths of radiation emitted by various sources
and the names of the radiations based on their wavelength frequencies and sizes and lots
more.Synchrotron light is not just limited to Synchrotrons. As mentioned above, the real name

3. of Synchrotron light is electromagnetic radiation. Anything that emits any form of
electromagnetic radiation from microwaves to x-rays is emitting a form of Synchrotron light.
The only difference is that Synchrotrons makes the radiation up to a billion times more brilliant
than the normal radiation emitted by other man-made objects.
Synchrotron in detail
What are the parts of a Synchrotron?
1. Electron Gun

4. Electron Gun (odec.ca, n.d)
A screen near the button is given a short, strong positive charge 125 times per second, which
pulls the negative charge particles, the electrons, away from the disk. This procedure is similar to
that found in a television picture tube.
2. Linear Accelerator (LINAC)
Linear Accelerator
The Electron gun feeds into the LINAC. Microwave radio frequency fields provide energy to
accelerate the electrons to almost the speed of light. The speed of the electrons is approximately
3x108 m/s.
3. Booster Ring (odec.ca,n.d)

5. As the electrons circulate in the Booster ring, they receive a boost in energy from approximately
250 MeV (Mega electron volt) to approximately 2.9 to 6 GeV (Giga electron volts) — power
equivalent to about 2 billion flashlight batteries — from microwaves generated in a Radio
Frequency Cavity.
4. Storage Ring, Beam line, and End Station (odec.ca,n.d)
When the electrons have enough energy to produce light, an injection system transfers them from
the booster ring to the storage ring. The process of transferring electrons from booster to storage
ring occurs approximately once per second up to 600 cycles (about 10 minutes) as required to
reach an average circulating current of. Once in the storage ring, the electrons will circulate for
four to twelve hours producing photons every time the 6800kg dipole magnets change the
direction of the flow of electrons. While the ring looks circular, it is really a series of 12 straight

6. sections. After each turn there is a photon port to allow the light to travel down the beam lines to
the research stations. The magnets and steerage ring are shown in the picture.
Applications of synchrotron
• Developing "designer" molecules for pharmaceutical drugs
• Optimization of seed oil biotechnology
• Improving yields of plant natural health products
• Continuing cancer and diabetes research
• Watching living cells as they react to drugs.
• Medicine and Pharmaceuticals
Medicine and Pharmaceuticals
Decoding proteins: Reducing need for insulin for diabetic patients
Canadian Scientist Dr. Gerald Audette and his team are trying to reduce the need for insulin for
diabetic patients using synchrotron light to study properties of proteins involved in glucose
metabolism.
Two proteins interacting to each other
Dr. Audette's team is using powerful international synchrotron while waiting for the Canadian
Light Source (CLS) beam lines to be commissioned. They are trying to invent a drug that will
stop or more precisely reduce glucose creating proteins from interacting each other inside a
diabetic patient without creating any side effects to the patient.

7. Micromachining
Scientists are using synchrotron light to manufacture tiny machine parts. An everyday example is
inkjet printer heads. So next time you print a document using inkjet printer heads remember you
are using technology created by synchrotron light. Below is a picture of an inkjet printer head.
Inkjet printer head
What are the most import advantages/characteristics of synchrotron radiation compared to
lab X-ray sources?
The most important advantage of synchrotron radiation over a laboratory X-ray source is its
brilliance. A synchrotron source like the ESRF has a brilliance that is more than a billion times
higher than a laboratory source. Brilliance is a term that describes both the brightness and the
angular spread of the beam. The difference between the two sources can be likened to the
difference between a laser beam and a light bulb. Higher brilliance lets us see more detail in the
material under study e.g. there is a greater precision in the diffraction of light from a crystal
where both the angle and the intensity is significant and recorded by a detector.
Cutting edge parts, equipments, techniques used
The monochromators used are typically periodic, diffracting elements to select given energies of
radiation.
- Gratings are used for energies (roughly) below 1 keV.
- For higher energies crystals are used which are natural three-dimensional "gratings", mainly
high quality silicon crystals. For the ESRF, typical energies are between 5 and 60 keV, but there
exists beam lines using lower and higher energies.

8. - There exists a further possibility of X-ray optical elements that allows one to select a narrow
energy band. These elements are multilayers, a periodic arrangement of rather thin double
layers, usually a metal and a lower density material.
Prisms could be used in the visible range; however synchrotrons are mainly dedicated to
producing much higher photon energies that is radiation with much shorter wavelengths. So
prisms are not used to our knowledge in synchrotrons like the ESRF.
Influence in nano science applications
Is it possible with synchrotron X-rays to detect particulate matter in the Nano-range in
human fluids (such as blood) and tell at the same time the composition of the particles
(heavy metals, carbon etc.)?
X-ray fluorescence imaging can be used to detect trace levels of heavy elements such as metals
(but not carbon). If the nanoparticles contain elements such as Pt, Au, Cd, Ag or lanthanides that
are not generally present in body fluids then trace quantities of these nanoparticles can be
detected. The ESRF X-ray Nano probe can be used to visualize nanoparticles or clusters of
nanoparticles if they are 100 nm or larger.
Controversies
The use of synchrotron radiation as a source for single crystal x-ray diffraction studies has
recently been the subject of considerable discussion and controversy. In contrast to conventional
sources, the polychromatic radiation produced by synchrotron emission can be monochromated
over a large range of wavelengths to give an intense x-ray beam.
References:
1.How does a synchrotron work? , viewed on 26th
march 2012,
http://www.odec.ca/projects/2005/shar5a0/public_html/how_does_a_synchrotron_work.htm#electro
n_gun,
2.Applications of Synchrotron Light , viewed on 26th
march 2012,
http://www.odec.ca/projects/2005/shar5a0/public_html/applications_of_synchrotron_ligh.htm
3.Applications of Synchrotron radiation to protein crystallography, viewed on 26th
march 2012,
http://www.pnas.org/content/73/1/128.full.pdf

9. 4.New Approach to quantum corrections in synchrotron radation, viewed on 26th
march
2012,http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0003491678901422
5. What is synchrotron light? , viewed on 26th
march
2012,http://www.odec.ca/projects/2005/shar5a0/public_html/what_is_synchrotron_light.htm

10. 4.New Approach to quantum corrections in synchrotron radation, viewed on 26th
march
2012,http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0003491678901422
5. What is synchrotron light? , viewed on 26th
march
2012,http://www.odec.ca/projects/2005/shar5a0/public_html/what_is_synchrotron_light.htm