Reinventing science at Brookhaven National Laboratory
Date: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 @ 22:53:27 UTC
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Laboratories, like many cultural institutions, periodically have to reinvent themselves to stay vital. New discoveries and social needs constantly threaten to render labs that stick to the same path obsolete.

One remarkable reinvention is being commemorated on Monday, when Brookhaven National Laboratory is celebrating the start of construction of a new energy research facility, the $1 billion National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II).


Monday's ceremony marks two key reinventions, one involving synchrotron light, the other Brookhaven Lab itself. Synchrotron light is shed by electrons as they bend in a magnetic field. While scientists once viewed it as a nuisance sapping the energy of their machines, it now has many applications in materials science.

The NSLS-II will produce light of such intensity that it can image dimensions of about a billionth of a meter. Imaging materials so minutely raises hopes for breakthroughs in energy production, allowing scientists to study in detail many energy processes, including superconductivity and solar energy, and possibly to discover new ones. ...

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