Advanced Photon Source (APS) is a type of synchrotron light source used for research in many fields, such as materials science, biology, chemistry, and physics. The APS is a particle accelerator that produces high-energy x-rays or extreme ultraviolet radiation from electron beams travelling at nearly the speed of light. It uses powerful magnets to bend the beam into an oval track before it reaches its target.
The first light from the APS was produced in 1995 and since then it has become one of the most powerful sources of X-ray photon energies available in the world today. This makes it ideal for studying both structural and chemical properties of matter on atomic length scales which are impossible to achieve with traditional laboratory techniques.
The primary application areas that take advantage of this technology are materials science, medical imaging, nanotechnology and spectroscopy. In material sciences studies using X-ray diffraction can reveal information about crystal structure without destroying samples while imaging studies can detect defects within crystalline structures down to single atom level resolution. Medical applications include computed tomography (CT), mammography and angiography scans as well as radiation therapy treatments which use high energy photons to kill cancer cells without damaging surrounding healthy tissue too much. Nanotechnology relies heavily on APS measurements due to its ability to provide clear images at extremely small scales while spectroscopic applications include analysis techniques such as Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) used for analyzing surface composition or Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) for studying electronic band structure in solids .
Overall Advanced Photon Sources have been employed successfully across numerous disciplines ranging from fundamental scientific research up through industrial production processes providing invaluable insight into otherwise inaccessible systems making them essential components in modern day laboratories around the world