Shutdown of Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS) at Daresbury Laboratory

The world's first dedicated X-ray synchrotron radiation storage ring, the Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS), Daresbury, Warrington, in the UK has closed down after 27 years of operation. Since 1980, it has played a key role in enabling and performing cutting-edge research in physics, chemistry and materials science and opened up many new areas of research in fields such as medicine, geological and environmental studies, structural genomics and archaeology. It has hosted over 11,000 users, leading to the publication of more than 5,000 research papers. The baton now passes on to the new Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, the UK's direct successor to the SRS. For more information, visit the Web page, http://www.scitech.ac.uk/PMC/PRel/STFC/SRS.aspx Another interesting account by Professor Geaves is found in the following article, "Two million hours of science", G. N. Greaves et al., Nature Materials 7, 827 - 830 (2008).