What is the storage ring?
Diamond’s storage ring consists of 24 straight sections angled together to form a closed loop 562m in circumference. 48 large electromagnets (called dipole magnets, or bending magnets) are used to curve the electron beam between adjacent straight sections. As the electrons follow this curved path they generate synchrotron light. The entire storage ring is maintained under vacuum conditions to minimise electrons scattering off air molecules. Electrons with complete the circuit in approximately two millionths of a second – that’s nearly seven and a half times around the Earth’s equator in a single second!
