UK Light Source Review - Executive summary

The committee was briefed by representatives of the existing and future UK user communities for light sources, the directors of existing facilities, and the proponents of new facilities or major upgrades. All the major European light sources where UK users are significant participants were included. The committee also had access to other documents, and called upon additional expertise in the review. The committee feels comfortable that it received adequate input to gain an appropriate perspective from which to advise STFC as it plans to expand scientific opportunities for UK light source users.

In general, the committee was very impressed by the standard and leadership of UK light source science. The Synchrotron Radiation Source (link opens in a new window) (SRS), which closed in 2008, has played an important historical role in the growth of synchrotron radiation science. The UK has been a major player in the outstanding success of the European Synchrotron Research Facility. The Diamond light source is an exemplar of the possibilities for new 3^rd generation sources, and the UK community is poised to benefit from this well-built new source.

We heard about two major new proposals for light sources. The 4GLS and Sapphire are two very different ideas for fourth generation sources which cover a wide range of wavelengths, and access ultra-fast timescales. In the committee’s opinion, however, neither proposal is yet appropriate for approval.

The committee feels that the community in the UK most involved in 4GLS, with an interest in the spectral region from THz radiation to soft x-rays, needs to come together and start fresh to identify the optimum UK facility which would serve their needs. In this “reinvention” process, we strongly recommend that likely developments in optical laser technology in the next five to ten years be incorporated from the “ground up”. Through strong collaborations with, and investment in, the Central Laser Facility, we believe that an innovative and integrated suite of accelerator and optically based light sources could emerge which would better serve UK science. Such a modified “4GLS” could adequately address the longer wavelength range and ultrafast pump-probe regime not served in the UK today, and could propel the UK community into a leadership role in Europe and beyond.

Diamond is an outstanding new facility for the UK, and the Diamond team under Prof. Materlik’s leadership are to be applauded for their success so far. They will remain busy for the next few years ensuring that the machine operates reliably and at the state-of-the-art, and delivers the scientific impact anticipated. During this time they should continue to explore with their users options for providing UK scientists with access to ultra-fast x-ray sources, including long-term possibilities for new sources at the Rutherford Laboratory.

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