Key facts and figures
Synchrotron light
- There are around 50 synchrotron light sources around the world
- Synchrotrons are used by industry, with 11 of the companies in the UK Top 25 R&D Scoreboard 2008 having used the SRS
- Pharmaceutical companies use synchrotrons as part of the drug-development process, creating new products that have the potential to save the UK economy huge sums of money
- 19 Nobel prizes have been awarded for research involving X-rays; nine in chemistry (of which four used synchrotron X-rays), seven in physics and three in medicine
- Synchrotron sources boost local economies through local construction and maintenance contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds