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This proposal for a national synchrotron light source has been prepared for the Australian Synchrotron Research Program (ASRP) by J.W. Boldeman following extensive consultation with industrial and scientific groups in all Australian states. Valuable contributions have been made by members of all the committees of the ASRP, the Australian synchrotron research community that works through the ASRP and the National Synchrotron Steering Committee. Important contributions have also been made by many industrial groups including consortia in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. The input from the ANKA staff at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe and, in particular, Professor Einfeld has been a critical component.
Executive Summary - Boomerang Proposal
- It is proposed that a high performance third generation synchrotron light source, Boomerang, be installed in Australia as a National Facility to provide internationally competitive synchrotron light facilities for Australian industry and science.
- The Boomerang Facility, as proposed in the accompanying documents, includes a 3 GeV electron storage ring providing, in the first instance, high intensity synchrotron light simultaneously to 9 core specialised instrument stations along with appropriate buildings and laboratories. Capacity exists for future expansion as demand increases
- The total cost of the facility is estimated to be $170M which comprises the capital cost of $100M over the construction period of 4 years (including all staff costs in this period) and annual operating costs of $11.5M for the first 6 years of operation. A comprehensive funding package is critical to the successful establishment of the facility. In deriving these costs, it is assumed that the facility is associated with a host institution with supporting infrastructure such as engineering workshops. A location in or on the outskirts of a major population centre is also assumed.
- The installation of Boomerang would have a significant impact on a wide range of high technology industries important for Australia?s future development, including biotechnology, mining, chemicals, microstructure products and scientific instrumentation
- An independent economic survey by the Centre for Strategic Economic Assessment, commissioned by the Victorian Industrial Roundtable, suggests that the installation of Boomerang could see industrial development of $27.1B over the 25 year lifetime of the facility creating 3,500 new jobs and induced investment of $6.6B creating an additional 2,150 jobs - CSEA Report.
- Boomerang would become the major Australian scientific research facility. An independent survey by the Centre for International Economics, commissioned by the Australian Synchrotron Research Program, indicates that in the first year of operation of the facility, the research community would number 400 different researchers with 60 from overseas - CIE Report. In the mature phase of the operation, the user community would grow to 1200 different users
- It is recognised internationally, that research using synchrotron light is a mainstream activity which provides essential information in the materials and chemical sciences, the life sciences, molecular environmental science, the geosciences, nascent technology and defence related research among many fields (US Department of Energy BESAC REVIEW 1997)
- Internationally, with more than 80 synchrotron facilities planned or operational, Australia is the largest trading nation without a home based facility - Part I.
- Boomerang is expected to become a major Pacific Rim research facility and could attract investment from neighbouring nations such as New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia and perhaps Singapore. It is proposed that an appropriate governance structure be established to enable best international practise in the facility?s operation and access.
- A synchrotron facility is a key tool in an expanding biotechnology sector. Australian science with a rapidly growing community of internationally respected protein crystallographers would be extremely well placed to capture the benefits in biological science following the installation of Boomerang. The installation of Boomerang would provide the opportunity for Australia to compete on a level playing field as a pharmaceutical supplier in the next century. It could be expected that products based on the generation of Intellectual Property by Australian researchers at Boomerang would generate annual revenue of as much as $2B. Appropriate investment could capture much of this revenue for Australian based companies.
- The installation of Boomerang would supplement existing capabilities for the manufacture of microstructure products. The potential annual revenue from the provision of comprehensive capabilities in this industrial activity could be up to $60-120M based on an expected world market of more than $60B in the early part of the next century.
- Boomerang should assist the Australian mining and exploration industry by providing state of the art analytical X-ray capabilities. At a time when the decline in commodity prices is placing pressure on this major Australian industry, it would be a wise strategic decision to have access to state of the art analytical facilities available at short notice to protect these industries
- The light source will also make an important contribution toward environmental management and sustainability through leading edge analytical capabilities for trace analyses and diagnostic investigations - Part IV.
- Australian science and industry have a tradition in the provision of high technology scientific instrumentation. The installation of Boomerang is expected to continue to foster this role.
Click on image for larger diagram
Synchrotron light (electromagnetic radiation) is emitted when charged particles, in particular electrons or positrons, moving at velocities close to the speed of light, are forced to move in a circular orbit under the action of a magnetic field. The electromagnetic radiation is emitted in a narrow cone in the forward direction, at a tangent to the orbit. The radiation is emitted with energies ranging from infra-red to energetic (short wavelength) X-rays.
Synchrotron radiation has a number of unique properties. These include:-
- High brightness: synchrotron radiation is extremely intense (hundreds of thousands of times more intense than conventional X-ray tubes) and highly collimated.
- Wide energy spectrum: synchrotron radiation is emitted with a wide range of energies, allowing a beam of any energy to be produced.
- Synchrotron radiation is highly polarised.
- It is emitted in very short pulses, typically less that a nano-second (a billionth of a second).
Further Information:
The Boomerang proposal formed the basis for the design of the Australian
Synchrotron, which is currently under construction adjacent to Monash
University in Melbourne. Details of the project can be found at
http://www.synchrotron.vic.gov.au/
Document details: Original Web document. Author and contact Dr R Garrett
This page was last updated on 4 February, 2004
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