Prof. Walker is Technical Director of the Diamond Light Source and Source Manager for the recently launched New Light Source Project.

Abstract:

The Diamond Light Source which came into operation in January 2007 is the largest medium-energy synchrotron radiation facility in the world. It provides ultra-violet and X-ray beams of exceptionally high brightness for use in a wide range of experiments, enabling scientists and engineers to probe deep into the basic structure of matter and materials.

Diamond may only just have come into operation but next generation sources which will be complementary to Diamond have already been under consideration for some time. A new impetus was given to this recently with the launch of the New Light Source project, which will firstly examine the science needs and then the specification for a possible new UK facility. Such a facility would combine the very latest accelerator and laser technology to produce exceptionally intense, ultra-short, coherent photon beams capable of exploring in unprecedented detail the key dynamical processes that occur in matter on a small spatial scale, and in ultra-fast timescales.

This talk will discuss the background to the Diamond project, how Diamond works, its applications, current status and future development, and conclude with some perspectives on a possible future New Light Source.