Research Facilities
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
A recently completed accelerator designed to collide intersecting
beams of heavy ions in the search for a state of matter called
quark-gluon plasma.
Alternating
Gradient Synchrotron
A n 843 ft. diameter particle accelerator used to propel protons and
heavy ions to high energies for physics research. Auxiliary
facilities include the 200-MeV
Linac, AGS
Booster,
and the NASA Space Radiation Research Laboratory.
NASA
Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL)
This is one of the few facilities in the world that can simulate the
harsh cosmic and solar radiation environment found in space. NSRL
employs beams of heavy ions extracted from Brookhaven’s Booster
accelerator, the best in the United States for radiobiology studies.
National
Synchrotron Light Source
An accelerator designed specifically to produce synchrotron
radiation that can be used to probe the fine structure of matter.
Blue synchrotron light is seen here through a vacuum window.
Center
for Functional Nanomaterials
This Center will provide researchers with state-of-the-art
capabilities to fabricate and study nanoscale materials. The Center's focus is to
achieve a basic understanding of how these materials respond when in nanoscale form. Nanomaterials offer different chemical and physical properties than
bulk materials, and have the potential to form the basis of new
technologies.
Tandem
Van de Graaff
The Tandem Van de Graaff accelerators are used to bombard materials
with ions for manufacturing and testing purposes. They are also used
to supply RHIC with heavy ions.
High-Field
MRI Facility
Used for human medical imaging studies, this facility houses a
nuclear magnetic resonance instrument with a 4 Tesla whole-body
magnet capable of generating one of the highest field strengths in
the world for human study.
Accelerator
Test Facility
The Accelerator Test Facility is used to explore new ideas on
particle acceleration and the production of brighter x-ray beams for
research applications.
Positron
Emission Tomograpahy (PET) Facility
The PET facility is used to image the brain for studies on the
treatment of human addiction, the aging process and drug research
and development.
Laser
Electron Accelerator Facility (LEAF)
A picosecond laser-electron accelerator facility at BNL's Center for
Radiation Chemistry Research.
Cyclotrons
Operated by the Chemistry Department, the 60-inch cyclotron and 40-inch "medical cyclotron" are
used for the production of radiotracers for use in PET and MRI
studies.
Transmission
Electron Microscope
Operated by the Energy Sciences & Technology Department, this 300 kV field emission electron microscope
is a unique probe for
materials characterization.
Scanning
Transmission Electron Microscope
Operated by the Biology Department, this is a custom-built electron microscope optimized for imaging unstained
biological molecules with minimal radiation damage.