Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory
Encyclopedia
The Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory (SAL) was a linear accelerator facility on the University of Saskatchewan
campus in Saskatoon
, Saskatchewan
, Canada
. The facility was constructed in 1961 at a cost of $1.7M under the direction of Leon Katz. SAL was identified by the OECD as a National Large-Scale Facility. SAL provided support for radiology, chemistry and sub-atomic physics research.
In the 1980s a pulse stretcher ring called EROS was added to the facility. EROS operated at a maximum energy of 296 MeV, with the experimental equipment including a tagged photons, two 4x detectors and a spectrometer. The ring was a low cost enhancement to the facility as it was suspended from the ceiling
In 1997 Western Economic Diversification Canada
provided funding to phase out the SAL sub-atomic physics program and begin detailed engineering of the Canadian Light Source (CLS). SAL officially discontinued operation in 1999 and was replaced by the CLS. The EROS ring was dismantled to make way for the CLS. The end-point tagger was transferred to MAX-lab
at Lund University
. The accelerator is still used as an injector for the CLS.
Funding for SAL was obtained based on earlier success in 1948, with Canada's first betatron (25 MeV) was constructed in the Physics Building. This was the world's first betatron used in the treatment of cancer . Based on this work, in 1951 the world's first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit for the treatment of cancer was constructed on campus. Based on the success of these programs, the physics department was able to obtain funding for the construction of a new linear accelerator at a cost of $1.7M .
Though SAL has been discontinued as a standalone facility, this research program lead to the creation of the CLS and the Plasma Physics Laboratory
. The CLS makes use of the original SAL building and facilities.
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
campus in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The facility was constructed in 1961 at a cost of $1.7M under the direction of Leon Katz. SAL was identified by the OECD as a National Large-Scale Facility. SAL provided support for radiology, chemistry and sub-atomic physics research.
In the 1980s a pulse stretcher ring called EROS was added to the facility. EROS operated at a maximum energy of 296 MeV, with the experimental equipment including a tagged photons, two 4x detectors and a spectrometer. The ring was a low cost enhancement to the facility as it was suspended from the ceiling
In 1997 Western Economic Diversification Canada
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Western Economic Diversification Canada is a Canadian federal department that works towards building strong, competitive and innovative businesses and communities in Western Canada...
provided funding to phase out the SAL sub-atomic physics program and begin detailed engineering of the Canadian Light Source (CLS). SAL officially discontinued operation in 1999 and was replaced by the CLS. The EROS ring was dismantled to make way for the CLS. The end-point tagger was transferred to MAX-lab
MAX-lab
MAX-lab, The MAX IV Laboratory, located at the northern campus of Lund University, Lund, Sweden, is a synchrotron light source facility and a Swedish National Laboratory. The lab operates three storage rings; MAX I , MAX II and MAX III . MAX-lab supports about 600 users from over 30 countries...
at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
. The accelerator is still used as an injector for the CLS.
Funding for SAL was obtained based on earlier success in 1948, with Canada's first betatron (25 MeV) was constructed in the Physics Building. This was the world's first betatron used in the treatment of cancer . Based on this work, in 1951 the world's first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit for the treatment of cancer was constructed on campus. Based on the success of these programs, the physics department was able to obtain funding for the construction of a new linear accelerator at a cost of $1.7M .
Though SAL has been discontinued as a standalone facility, this research program lead to the creation of the CLS and the Plasma Physics Laboratory
Plasma Physics Laboratory (Saskatchewan)
The Plasma Physics Laboratory at the University of Saskatchewan was established in 1959 by H. M. Skarsgard. Early work centered on research with a Betatron.-STOR-1M:STOR-1M is Canada's first tokamak built in 1983...
. The CLS makes use of the original SAL building and facilities.