A general view of the Australian Synchrotron, in Melbourne's south-east. Photo / Jamie Morton
A general view of the Australian Synchrotron, in Melbourne's south-east. Photo / Jamie Morton
A high-tech Melbourne facility which has received $15 million in Government funding is helping boost research on the other side of the Tasman, says Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith, who visited the site today.
The Australian Synchrotron works as a gigantic microscope that can be used to study everything from advanced materials and biomedics to food technology and art forensics.
Electrons are first generated inside an "electron gun" then fired with the power of 90,000 volts into a machine called a Linear Accelerator, where they're whizzed up to nearly the speed of light.
Next, they're transferred into the "Booster Ring" - where the electrons' energy is boosted and dipole electromagnets force the electrons to adopt an almost circular path, zapping round at an amazing pace of a million laps each half-second.
They're then fed into another outer ring - the "Storage Ring" - where the electrons circulate at a constant energy for around 30 to 40 hours, continuously generating intense synchrotron light.
This light, which is created by bending the path of electrons through magnetic fields, is channelled down long pipelines, called beamlines, which scientists can draw on for research.
Each beamline includes different types of filters, mirrors and other optical components that prepare the light for use in a range of different scientific experiments.
Finally, the light winds up at the beamlines' "End Stations", a lab where the light interacts with with a sample.
Detectors positioned around the sample measure how the light is emitted, transmitted, scattered, or diffracted by the sample, and researchers use the information to determine the sample's composition or atomic structure.
Scientists have been using it to examine the innermost workings of the immune system, testing potential new treatments for cystic fibrosis, HIV-Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
Kiwi researcher Dr Tom Caradoc-Davies, a principal scientist in macromolecular crystallography based at the synchrotron. Photo / Jamie Morton
In one of the synchrotron's quirkier applications, scientists used it to reveal details hidden in a painting by famous Australian artist Arthur Streeton.
They were able to peer beneath layers of white lead paint that Streeton had used to cover up a rare self-portrait.
Today, scientists are using it to investigate whether mysterious occurrences of the element zinc in the brain's hippocampus might be linked to degenerative memory problems.
"As foundation investors in the Australian Synchrotron, we have given New Zealand researchers access to a sophisticated facility which can assist in the development of everything from forensics, to surgical tools, through to understanding environmental issues," said Goldsmith, who is meeting with key science and innovation players in Australia.
The facility had helped improve the quality and impact of New Zealand research, with a number of international collaborations developed through research conducted there, he said.
Discoveries made at the synchrotron have led to new non-toxic leather tanning processes, with estimated annual contributions of $125 million to the leather and shoe industry.
New Zealand researchers are also using the synchrotron to create a new high-fashion fibre that combines the special properties of gold and silver nanoparticles, with the feel of merino wool.
A model of the Australian Synchrotron, in Melbourne's south-east. Photo / Jamie Morton
"The goal of the synchrotron is to be the catalyst for high quality research and innovation in Australia and New Zealand," Goldsmith said.
"The Government is committed to investing in science that delivers excellence and impact, which is what our relationship with the synchrotron delivers for New Zealand."
During the visit to Melbourne and Canberra, Goldsmith will meet with his Australian counterparts, the Minister for Industry, Science and Innovation, Arthur Sinodinos, and the Minister for Education and Training, Simon Birmingham, as well as other science and innovation sector leaders.
