Its mission includes coordinating, encouraging and supporting synchrotron radiation users in Canada s university, government and industrial communities. This light covers the range of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum from infrared to gamma rays, and it is modern technology s best available source of X-rays.
Synchrotron radiation is a tool with many uses, and with many advantages over other technologies.
Today, over 100 senior Canadian researchers are using synchrotron radiation, and this number is growing rapidly. Unfortunately, the competition for time on foreign synchrotrons is also growing, and access is increasingly difficult to obtain. Canada is currently the only major industrial nation without its own dedicated synchrotron radiation facility in operation. CISR believes that improved access to synchrotron radiation is crucial for Canada to remain competitive, especially in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and electronics.