Construction of Kraków synchrotron halfway through
Photo: National Synchrotron Radiation Centre Solaris, the Jagiellonian University
Half of the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre Solaris in Kraków is ready. Six of twelve electromagnets have already been fitted on concrete supports in the synchrotron tunnel. The first studies will be carried out as early as 2015.
Poland\'s first synchrotron, a particle accelerator that emits electromagnetic radiation of high intensity, is being built in Kraków in the Third Campus of the Jagiellonian University. It will be used for research in fields including biology, chemistry, physics, materials science, medicine, pharmacology, geology and crystallography.
"The synchrotron ring tunnel slowly fills up with 6-ton electromagnets, which will form the synchrotron. Six magnets have already been installed on concrete supports in the tunnel. Ultimately, there will be twelve magnets" - reported the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre in a release sent to PAP.
Currently, physicists and engineers from the Solaris team are testing electrical connections and perform measurements of deformation of the magnets. "Yoke of each magnet consists of two parts. Between them is a vacuum chamber, through which electron beam will run. Currently magnet halves are disassembled, and we are testing how the yoke bends under its own weight. We are also testing the vacuum chamber installation" - said magnet specialist in the Solaris team, Dr. Robert Nietubyć.
According to the experts, this is a standard procedure to assure that the electron beam passes exactly through the axis of the magnet. It\'s important for achieving the target parameters of the emitted X-rays.
"Magnets are made in pioneering technology developed at synchrotron facility Max IV Laboratory at the University of Lund in Sweden and shared with Solaris in an unprecedented collaboration between centres. Innovation of the magnets lies in integrating the traditional sequence of 25 individual electromagnets in a single block of iron. This revolutionary, extremely demanding technological solution dramatically improves the accuracy and stability of the structure" - reads the release sent to PAP.
The construction cost of is nearly PLN 200 million, including the building, synchrotron, and two research lines. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund in the Innovative Economy Operational Programme 2007-2013.
About 60 synchrotrons operate throughout the world. They are a driving force behind the development of information technology and have a huge impact on innovativeness and competitiveness of the economies in the countries in which they operate. Synchrotrons allowed to develop several groundbreaking diagnostic methods in medicine, and contributed to Nobel Prize-winning discoveries.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
ekr/ mki/ mrt/
tr. RL
Przed dodaniem komentarza prosimy o zapoznanie z Regulaminem forum serwisu Nauka w Polsce.
