Synchrotron Radiation: The Light Fantastic

What happens when scientists and engineers suddenly have access to an x-ray source that is one million times more intense than anything they have used before? The answer is A REVOLUTION, much like that which resulted from the introduction of lasers and high speed computers. Herman Winick will discuss how such intense beams of short wavelength light, or x-rays, are produced by high energy electron accelerators at SLAC and 50 other laboratories around the world, and the profound impact that they are having on many areas of basic and applied research. Particular examples include the use of these x-rays to unravel the mysteries of protein function (leading to new drugs to combat disease) and understand the nature of toxic contaminants in soil and water (leading to remediation strategies).