What is light? What is matter? The world within which we evolve; including its mountains, rivers, houses and animals, is made out of matter. During the day, the sun's rays light up our environment and depending upon the way it is reflected or absorbed, the information is transmitted to our eyes.
Even though at the macroscopic level matter appears to be a continuous medium, some philosophers of ancient times had the intuition that matter is made up of tiny elements, atoms, that are invisible to the naked eye and that they believed to be the smallest elements. Modern science has confirmed that matter is composed of atoms, although these can be divided up into even smaller parts.

Exploration of matter on the atomic scale has now become a priority for scientists since it allows a better understanding of the properties of materials and of biological functions. However, with so-called visible light, it is impossible to see details smaller than the micron. To go beyond and reach the atomic scale, which is 10,000 times smaller than the micron scale, one has to use x-rays which have a wavelength 10,000 times shorter than visible light.

How is synchrotron light produced? What instruments are required in synchrotron research?
Synchrotron light is produced by electrons circulating around a ring accelerator at almost the speed of light. Electrons deviate due to the magnetic field of the bending magnets, distributed all along the circumference. When they are forced onto a curved trajectory, electrons emit synchrotron light, which is composed mainly of x-rays. The beams of light are emitted tangentially to the curvature of the trajectory of the electrons and follow a straight path to the beamlines that are stored in the experimental hall.

The obstacles generally encountered in a real-life visit vanish as you explore the accelerator and the “beam lines” in this virtual tour!

Here you will find many experimental methods involving interactions between light and matter, particularly x-ray applications. The techniques used in synchrotrons are compared with other methods – electron microscopy, the x-ray scanner or neutrons.

The most immediate way of using x-rays which appear just after their discovery in 1894 is in medical radiology. X-rays pass through the body and are better absorbed by bones, which are made of denser matter than the surrounding tissues. But x-rays can also be used to explore the world on a much smaller scale, at the atomic and molecular level. Crystallography, one of the best known methods, is based on the diffraction of x-rays by crystals. From a diffraction pattern it is possible to reconstruct the 3D structure of molecules, composed of thousands of atoms. Absorption spectroscopy, on the other hand, allows the study of all materials, whether crystallized or not.

Using synchrotron light these traditional methods give even better results. Moreover, new techniques specific to synchrotron light open the way to experiments that were impossible to carry out before.

To examine the thread of a spider web, in an attempt to explain its strengths, which are equivalent to that of a steel wire of the same diameter and exhibit remarkable elasticity.
To see the flitting involvement of a catalyst in a petrochemical cracking process.
To study materials with astonishing magnetic and electronic properties.
To observe protein structure change during biochemical reactions on a nanosecond time scale.
To follow the setting of cement in real time in order to observe an intermediate phase that only lasts a few seconds.
To analyze a minute quantity of make-up powder from ancient Egypt in order to find out more about the way of life and the techniques known many thousands of years ago.
These are only some examples of what can be done using synchrotron light in advanced scientific and industrial research.

Widely used in the most advanced fields of physics, chemistry, environmental science, biology, medicine or materials science, synchrotron light is at the core of some of the major scientific challenges of the 21st century, such as molecular biology or nanophysics.

A synchrotron is a facility the size of a football field that produces light, principally X-rays, with special qualities such as extreme brightness and short wavelengths that permit unprecedented scientific and technological research. Like a giant microscope, this brilliant light source allows for matter to be "seen" at the atomic scale.

The synchrotron was invented as a means of producing higher energy particles. Its history began in 1930 with the use of particle accelerators to produce high-energy beams of protons, electrons and other particles. As researchers realized that synchrotron radiation was a valuable research tool and began to use these machines as a source of radiation, the first-generation synchrotrons appeared.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, the "second generation" machines were built in many countries, including the USA, Japan, UK and Germany. The light in these "second generation" machines was produced using a single bending magnet.
In the 1990s "third generation" synchrotrons were conceived and constructed. In these machines, special devices such as undulators and wigglers were inserted in straight sections of the machine to give even more intense beams of light than from second generation synchrotrons.
Today, there are 43 synchrotrons around the world and another 31 under construction.
In this virtual tour, you will discover the synchrotrons around the world and a fast-growing area of scientific activity.