The Canadian Light Source is a synchrotron located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It opened on October 22, 2004 after three years of construction and $173.5 million (Cdn). One of only 12 such facilities in the world, it occupies a footprint the size of a football field on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan. Essentially an enormous microscope, its purpose is to create very bright light at any wavelength, that allows a researchscientist to examine the atomic structure of an object or living organism without harmful specimen preparation.
External links
Canadian Light Source Website (http://www.lightsource.ca)
The CLS is the largest science project in Canadian history, and represents an unprecedented level of cooperation between the Government of Canada, the governments of Saskatchewan, Ontario and Alberta, the City of Saskatoon, universities across Canada and industry.
A synchrotron produces extremely bright light by using radio frequency waves to accelerate electrons to nearly the speed of light and then bending the path of the electron stream into a circle using powerful electromagnets.
The light is shone down beamlines to endstations (small laboratories) where scientists can select different parts of the spectrum to “see” the microscopic nature of matter, right down to the level of the atom.
CanadianLightSource (CLS) Inc. is Canada's national facility for synchrotronlightresearch.
Officially opened in October 2004, the CLS will light the way to a new era of science and innovation in Canada for academe, government and industry.
Capital and operating funding comes from federal, provincial, municipal, industrial and academic sources that came together in an unprecedented partnership.
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