Should I use it?

There are many benefits of using synchrotron experiments to further your research. Certain properties of synchrotron radiation mean that there are some techniques that can only be performed at a synchrotron, and other techniques that are greatly enhanced.

Synchrotron radiation is many orders of magnitude higher in flux than common laboratory instruments. This allows one to measure smaller or more dilute amounts of material, and/or measure in a shorter amount of time, with a synchrotron. If the time required for the measurement is short enough there is the possibility of observing processes in real time.

Synchrotron radiation can be tuned, that is, the researcher can choose the wavelength (or energy) of the radiation. This is important for experiments such as x-ray absorption spectroscopy or multiple-wavelength anomalous diffraction, which target particular elements.

A list of synchrotron techniques is here.

Some case studies are here.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the use of synchrotron experiments in your research, or fill out the registration form indicating your research interests, and we will contact you.

The Australian Synchrotron user office has offered to send beamline scientists and support staff to conduct outreach activities at local institutions (e.g. workshops or seminars). Please contact us for more information.