This week, the first Australian synchrotron instrument valued at $1 million will be launched in Taiwan by the Australian Synchrotron Research Program (ASRP), with its Taiwanese partner – the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Centre (NSRRC).
Designed by ASRP scientists in collaboration with other Australian scientists, the new Soft X-ray Synchrotron Instrument (SXSI) is unique as it will allow ‘dirty’ minerals such as coal to be studied using synchrotron technology, which was previously not possible.
Based at ANSTO, Dr Richard Garrett, Director of ASRP, said that synchrotron scientists needed to further understand the chemistry and structure of these ‘dirty’ minerals so the ASRP was called upon to design an instrument that could successfully do this without destroying the particles they wanted to measure or contaminate the instrument.
Published: 27/04/2006