Taking research beyond the limit

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A NEW imaging capability for the UK that could take materials and biological research beyond the limits of what is currently possible, and eventually generate “molecular movies”, has been showcased at the Daresbury Laboratory, near Warrington.
It was all part of the official launch of the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s newest electron beam accelerator – VELA, the Versatile Electron Linear Accelerator.
Academic and industrial researchers were on hand to see how they can benefit from this exciting new facility and how it could help them bridge the gap between proof-of-concept, prototypes and market ready products.
One of the industrial companies attending were Rapiscan Systems, a global provider of walk-through metal detectors and cargo-scanning x-ray machines, who have been one of the first organisations to use
VELA to perform proof-of-concept experiments in its research into methods of generating three-dimensional X-ray images for more comprehensive cargo security screening.
Dr Edward Morton, chief technical officer, Rapiscan Systems, said: “VELA has been the ideal place to successfully test our theories, and this would have been impossible anywhere else in the UK. Rapiscan Systems is committed to creating a secure future for the travelling public, and the development of new and innovative imaging techniques, such as those here at VELA, is key to achieving this.”
In October last year VELA achieved a UK first when it used “shutter speeds” close to one ten-thousandth of a billionth of a second to achieve “ultrafast electron diffraction”.
This is a technique which uses very short, fast pulses of electrons, to image the atomic structure of materials, atom by atom, without causing damage to materials that would be caused by traditional x-rays. In doing so, it became one of only a handful of sites globally with the capability to take this technique forward to the next level and generate “molecular movies” – to see a chemical or biological reaction as it happens.
Professor Susan Smith, head of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, said: “Achieving ultra-fast electron diffraction last year was a major milestone for STFC, and now we want to ensure that UK industry and
researchers can benefit from this exciting new research tool for their research and product development.”
Representatives from UCL, the University of St Andrews, The Max Planck Institute, SLAC and the University of York were present at the launch, along with local MPs, Graham Evans, Andrew Miller and Derek Twigg.
VELA is the result of £2.5m government investment into STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory for accelerator technology developments, as part of a series of investments across the Sci-Tech Daresbury science and innovation campus, one of the Government’s flagship Enterprise Zones.

Picture: Professor Susan Smith, with VIP visitors at the Daresbury Laboratory


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Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.

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