China's Biggest Large-Scale Scientific Facility SSRF Completed
On April 29, China's biggest ever large-scale scientific facility - the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) - was officially completed in Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park and opened to domestic and foreign users. The facility involves a total investment of about 1.2 billion yuan.
Hospitals use X-ray to take photos of human skeletons and blood vessels while the SSRF similarly uses ultra-strong X-ray to bring an "imaging revolution" to our understanding of the micro-world. It makes use of synchrotron radiation light, which is 100-million-fold brighter and one-million-fold stronger than light from common X-ray apparatus, to image microcosmic substances. It is regarded as an irreplaceable tool in the study of many cutting-edge subjects and is the most advanced of its kind in these subjects.
Among all 20 third-generation synchrotron radiation light sources that have been built worldwide, China's SSRF ranks fourth in terms of power, preceded only by Japan, the US and Europe. (From People's Daily)
