About the Facilities

NSLS

• Began operating in 1982
• FY10 operating budget of $38.5 million
• Over 2,000 scientists come each year to do experiments
• 60 beamlines: 49 on X-Ray Ring and 11 on Vacuum Ultraviolet Ring
• VUV Ring operating energy: 800 MeV
• X-Ray Ring operating energy: 2.8 GeV
• Runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, more than 250 days a year
• Injection system accelerates electrons to 99.99998 percent light speed

NSLS-II

• Will be 10,000 times brighter than NSLS, with 3 GeV ring energy and 500 mA stored current with top-off injection
• At full capacity, will have more than 60 beamlines
• Construction requires 2,900 tons of steel and 41,000 cubic yards of concrete
• Will have 600,000 square feet of space total
• Ring building, nearing completion, has outside circumference of 913 meters (just over half a mile)
• When operating, will draw up to 20 megawatts of power
• Will require 2,500 tons of mechanical refrigeration and 1,800 tons of cooling tower capacity