
Reinventing science at Brookhaven National Laboratory
Date: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 @ 22:53:27 UTC Topic:
BY ROBERT P. CREASE
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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