Super X-ray with many areas of application

Being able to examine rocks and fossils without having to break them up could be worth its weight in gold for geologists. Synchrotron radiation makes this possible! Similarly, X-raying soil to assess the level of pollutants. The radiation source at MAX IV could also be very useful in cancer research. These are three new examples of areas of application for synchrotron radiation; areas that have developed during the past few years. Four years ago, Professor of Geology Birger Schmidt had a very vague idea of what synchrotron radiation was - but quickly realised what use he could make of it in his research on meteorites. "It opens up fantastic opportunities for pioneering research on the history of the solar system", he says. "With the help of the methods available at the new facility, it is possible to look inside rocks and see traces of cosmic radiation and earlier catastrophic collisions between solar systems." In biology, a postdoctoral researcher is now working on analysis of biological breakdown in the earth using synchrotron radiation.