A memorandum of understanding signed between the Australian Collaboration for Accelerator Science (ACAS) and the Japanese SPring-8 Centre will give Australian scientists access to one of the world’s most powerful synchrotrons.
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) signed the agreement on behalf of ACAS on 2 September. It will benefit ANSTO’s ACAS partners, Melbourne University, the Australian National University and the Australian Synchrotron.
Australian scientists will be able to explore the sub-microscopic world using electron beams travelling at just below the speed of light, and will have access to a suite of other scientific facilities based in Japan.
In return, Japanese scientists will have the opportunity to access facilities attached to Australia’s OPAL research reactor.
SPring-8 is owned by the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Japan’s flagship institution for basic and applied research.
It is a major facility that includes the synchrotron, a linear accelerator, storage ring, beam lines and attached facilities.