"A stunning flying saucer-shaped building housing a large particle accelerator can be found not far from Didcot, and it opens to the public for free tours a few times a year. Known as a synchrotron, it's a large particle accelerator, but rather than smashing atoms together to study them, as at CERN, it generates powerful light beams that can probe the interior of materials. In essence, a very large and very powerful X-ray machine. That doesn't use X-rays."
"A visit will take approximately 2/2.5 hours and will consist of: An introductory talk giving a general overview of Diamond and how it is used. A guided tour - including a trip to see inside the synchrotron and the laboratories - note that extensive walking will be involved. An opportunity to talk to Diamond employees and ask them about their work and the facility."
Located near Didcot, Diamond Light Source occupies a flying saucer–shaped silver ring building housing a synchrotron that produces intense beams of light to probe material interiors. The facility functions like a very large, powerful X‑ray machine but uses synchrotron radiation across multiple wavelengths rather than conventional X‑rays. Occasional free public open days run a few times per year; the next open day is Saturday 21 March 2026. Visits last about 2–2.5 hours and include an introductory talk, a guided tour inside the synchrotron and laboratories (involving extensive walking), and opportunities to speak with staff. Places are allocated by ballot; applications close 15 February and successful applicants are informed about a week later. Buses X34 and X35 run from Didcot rail station to Harwell Campus roughly every 30 minutes, taking about 35 minutes.
Read at ianVisits
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]