World’s Brightest Light Source Accelerates Electrons to 99.9999999985% of the Speed of Light – Scitech Daily

MAX IV is a circular accelerator called a synchrotron. Many bunches of electrons circulating in the accelerator emit bright shortwave radiation, which allows to reveal the internal structure of matter (fragments with the size of a few nanometers) to be studied, e.g., biological molecules or nano-sized materials. It is also well suited for the investigation of the electronic structure and properties of various substances. In a stainless-steel tube with a diameter of one centimeter, in an ultra-high vacuum the bunches of electrons are accelerated on a 528-meter storage ring to a speed of up to 99.9999999985 percent of the speed of light. The electrons “tamed” by a magnetic field circulate 24/7 and the radiated light is directed into beamlines with various endstations, where state-of-the-art experiments are conducted. The MAX IV is the first fourth generation synchrotron, being currently one of the world’s most modern synchrotrons and the brightest light source.

As a public research infrastructure, the synchrotron is intended to be used by anyone who is interested, from university research groups to entrepreneurs. In 2018, the six beamlines of the MAX IV Laboratory in operation had about 500 users per year; as several new beamlines will be brought into operation, it is expected that by 2025, the number of users will rise above 2,500 per year. Naturally, it is also expected increased interest of Estonian users to exploit the benefits of this large-scale research center, which is only a 1.5-hour flight away.