How do synchrotrons work?
A synchrotron consists of the electron gun, linear accelerator, booster ring, storage ring, bending magnets, beam lines and the end stations.
1. Electrons are generated at the electron gun and accelerated to a speed of about (159 million m/sec) by the linear accelerator/linac by thermionic emission from a heated tungsten matrix cathode at 90 000 volts.
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4. The accelerated electrons are then transferred to the storage ring, which is the final destination. The electrons are circulated around the storage ring by a series of magnets. As the electrons are deflected through the magnetic fields, they give off electromagnetic radiation for many hours. Magnetic fields are used to replace the energy lost by the electrons during each full round of the ring. At this point at each magnet, synchrotron light is produced.
6. Beamlines capture the synchrotron radiation given off by the storage ring. The beam passes through a silicon monochromator (material that allows only certain wavelengths to pass through). |
Afterwards, the subject is rotated so that a clear image is produced. Experiments using synchrotron
light are conducted in facilities called end-stations.