Taking Diamond Light Source to a new level of brilliance by Prof. Andrew Harrison

Adolf Goebbels
Published on May 17, 2023
A public Lecture by Prof. Andrew Harrison, OBE, FRSE, FRS, Chief Executive, Diamond Light Source - Taking Diamond Light Source to a new level of brilliance which took place at the UK Catalysis Hub Summer Conference 2022

Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron facility, based at Harwell and producing brilliant beams of light that are used by a set of instruments that act like a set of exceptionally powerful microscopes. These instruments are among the most powerful in the world and provide some of the most detailed insights into the structure of materials and biological systems, down to the position of individual atoms. This enables thousands of researchers across the UK and beyond to understand how they function and to develop new technological materials and treatments for some of the most challenging diseases. Recent work conducted at Diamond includes ways to improve lithium batteries, harness the ability of some bacteria to treat plastic waste, and produce new drugs to tackle Covid-19. The technology that Diamond uses to generate the intense beams of light has undergone a revolution recently that can make them 100 times brighter. Diamond plans to adopt this technology as part of a major upgrade – ‘Diamond-II’ – that will give transformative new scientific insights and enable us to meet some of most pressing societal challenges yet more effectively.