It’s official - the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is to create a Centre for Accelerator Science, after the proposal was approved by the Federal Parliament yesterday. The new Centre is part of plans for $62.5 million worth of improvements to facilities at ANSTO.
As part of the development, two new accelerators – crucial pieces of equipment used to identify elements at the atomic level - will be commissioned over the next four years. In addition to ANSTO’s existing two accelerators, the new accelerators will put ANSTO at the forefront of this field worldwide. Importantly it will act as a magnet for Australian and overseas scientists from nearly every scientific field, working in areas such as radiocarbon dating, and environmental
studies.
Famously, accelerators have been used to solve historical mysteries including the age of historical artefacts such as the Shroud of Turin and Aboriginal rock art , as well as providing crucial measurements for the amount of carbon in the air.
The new accelerators to be constructed in the Centre are a low energy multi-isotope accelerator mass spectrometer and a new medium-energy tandem accelerator.
The Bragg Institute will be extended to provide laboratories and workshops for 150 people, including increasing numbers of international scientists who are attracted to ANSTO by the new OPAL reactor. The OPAL reactor building will also be extended to better cater for increased uses of the reactor, including increased radiopharmaceutical production.
The facilities will be made available to researchers from around Australia, and to international researchers through ANSTO’s international partnership agreements truly placing Australia at the forefront of cutting edge research.
Published: 25/06/2010