Diamond Light Source

Yesterday, I visited the open day of the Diamond Light Source at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

This was a fascinating event where the public could walk around part of the electron synchrotron and see how X-rays are produced by "wiggler" magnets. This giant machine produces light which is around 110 billion times brighter than a hospital X-ray machine and 10 billion times brighter than light from the sun.

The light source is being used to study a wide variety of things ranging from potential cures and treatments for diseases such as cancer, to testing aircraft components. It is a wonderful opportunity for us in Oxfordshire to have the largest UK funded scientific facility built in the last 40 years right on our doorstep. This has happened thanks to investment in science by both the public sector and The Wellcome Trust. Now whenever I drive past the shiny 'doughnut' ring at the front of the Chilton site, I will be heartened to know what is going on inside!