China plans to build world's brightest light source facility in Beijing

Image for representational purpose only

Beijing: China is planning to build world's brightest light source, a next-generation synchrotron radiation facility in Beijing, said a researcher from Chinese Academy of Sciences.

According to Dong Yuhui, the project is expected to start in November 2018 and will be completed in six years.

The total investment in this project will reach 4.8 billion yuan ($698 million), as per China Daily reports.

The facility, dubbed Beijing Light Source, will meet the national security demands and create aerospace materials among other products. It will also provide high-resolution method to know substantial structures better.

Beijing Light Source will be the so-called fourth generation light source and its key performance indicators would be higher than the third-generation ones.

The facility will create the World's brightest X-rays which is 70 times brighter than the US National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) and 10 times brighter than Sweden's MAX IV, the strongest of its kind in the globe.

Bright X-rays could help measure the atomic structure of various substances and the higher brightness will help people to see more details of substances, something akin to using flashlight to see things, Dong said.

Around the world, there are more than 50 such facilities providing support in many research fields.

The light source plays an important role in the medical field, helping researchers know mechanisms of tumours and cerebrovascular diseases.

(With IANS inputs)