Home Up Feedback Contents

SPEAR     

 

Home Up

 

SPEAR is the synchrotron storage ring used at SLAC to supply energetic electrons to the linear accelerator.  Originally, the parasitic radiation that came from accelerated electrons was considered a nuisance until the potential for high energy x-ray experiments was realized.  Since the accelerated electrons move at relativistic velocities, a highly directional and polarized beam of x-rays is emitted in the plane of the synchrotron.  Experimenters recognized that these x-rays also spanned a broad spectrum of energies  allowing for precise energy tuning using monochromators.  These desirable traits lead to the development of beamlines where x-rays are used for numerous experiments that are not possible with conventional x-ray tubes.

Shown below is a schematic of a typical synchrotron facility.

 

Synchrotron radiation is used in our experiment as it provide a higher photon flux than conventional x-ray sources, and since the radiation is highly tunable.  This has allowed us to achieve extremely low detection limits that are unmatched by conventional TXRF setups.

 
 
Send mail to singhace@stanford.edu with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: June 27, 2000