Synchrotron radiation and tin foil: Get to know the world of ASTRID2
Very few universities have a large particle accelerator in their basement. But Aarhus University does. It’s called ASTRID2 and it’s one of a kind. It has researchers come to Aarhus to conduct their experiments from as far away places as Brazil and Australia.
The basement under the car park between the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University is home to Denmark's largest accelerator facility, ASTRID2. The facility boasts three particle accelerators. To outsiders they almost look like something out of a sci-fi film. A tangle of colours, bricks, wires and add-ons. And tin foil. Lots and lots of tin foil.
ASTRID2 works by accelerating electrons to near the speed of light. As they are hurled around, the electrons emit super intense shortwave light, called synchrotron radiation. It’s actually a spectrum of light, from infrared light to soft X-rays, including visible light.
"The accelerators allow for a wide range of different interdisciplinary experiments using synchrotron radiation. Researchers use the light to analyse, understand and develop everything from biological systems to nano-technological compounds on an atomic scale," says Heine Dølrath Thomsen, who is an accelerator physicist.
He has worked with ASTRID for 14 years, first during his studies, and now as one of six full-time employees working to develop the accelerator facility with the circulating particle beam.
The accelerator facility is a state-of-the-art research infrastructure and therefore highly valued by both researchers and visitors from industry. There are seven stations around the newest accelerator, ASTRID2, where researchers can connect equipment and work on their research projects.
"We’ve users from Brazil and Australia, who travel here to use the accelerators. The complex experiments that these researchers and industry guests want to conduct require a research facility like ASTRID2. They can't be conducted without it. So, the facility is extremely important for both the Department of Physics and Astronomy and for Aarhus University," says Heine Dølrath Thomsen.
Disruptions and interruptions in the basement are costly for research. And concerns about spare parts can keep an otherwise seasoned expert like Heine Dølrath Thomsen awake at night. Because if something important stops working, like a major power supply for example, it can take up to a year before a new one can be obtained.
"It's not the kind of thing you can just go pick up at the nearest DIY centre," he says.
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You can also read about Scandinavia's strongest magnet.
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