Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Project (SSRP)
X-ray science at SLAC began with the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Project (SSRP). SLAC's
SPEAR ring was built with one tangential port to allow synchrotron
radiation to come out. Without the foresight of the ring designers to do this, SSRP would probably never have come into existence.
A successful pilot
project at SPEAR led to the National Science
Foundation funding the SSRP which began operations in May 1974, 8
months ahead of schedule.
SSRP was the first synchrotron radiation laboratory on a multi-GeV electron storage ring that was set up as a national facility to provide access to a broad spectral
range -- including hard x-rays -- to a large number of users. Although limited by parasitic operation on the SPEAR colliding-beam program, research done at SSRP
revolutionized x-ray science, leading to the funding of dedicated multi-GeV facilities in the US and abroad, the so-called second generation light sources
At the start, five experimental stations shared radiation from one bending magnet tangential exit port that was part of the initial construction of the SPEAR
colliding-beam storage ring. What is now the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) has blossomed from a small
adjunct to the SPEAR particle physics
program into a vital part of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
Selected Timeline
1968 |
Bill Spicer (Stanford University) memorandum of June 18, 1968, making a very early
request that Pief
Panofsky consider the possibility of using "cyclotron" (later called synchrotron) radiation from the planned
SLAC storage ring for solid state studies |
1972 |
Decision is made to start a pilot project to use the synchrotron radiation at SPEAR. In January, the Center for
Materials Research (CMR) at Stanford provides funds to install an ultra-high vacuum valve on a tangential port. A
beryllium window assembly and other front-end components are later added to this tangential port without venting the
storage-ring vacuum system. The CMR also funds the design and cost estimate for a one-port three-station facility
at SPEAR. A supplementary proposal is submitted to the National Science Foundation in November to cover the costs
for the pilot project, which was focused on high-resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. A proposal to build
and operate the facility is submitted to the NSF by PI Sebastian Doniach. Another proposal for a synchrotron
facility at the Cambridge Electron Accelerator (CEA)is submitted by William Paul, Karl Strauch, and Herman Winick at
Harvard University. A review committee established by the NSF makes site visits to both SLAC and the CEA and
decides in favor of the SLAC proposal. |
1973 |
Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Project (SSRP) started by Sebastian Doniach (Director) and William Spicer
(Consulting Director) with funding from the National Science Foundation; the US Navy’s Michelson Lab at China
Lake, California; Xerox Corporation; and Bell Telephone Laboratory. Herman Winick from the CEA joins SSRP as
Associate Director. |
5/1974 |
SSRP begins operations (8 months ahead of schedule) with 5 experimental stations sharing a beamline. |
10/24-25/1974 |
First SSRP Users Group meeting
|
11/1974 |
The November Revolution takes center stage: On November 8th the first sharp
resonance is discovered at SPEAR, beam energy required is 1.5 GeV, no x-ray experiments are possible at this beam
energy, UV experiments continue. On November 11th, SSRP is given a prime shift, "experimenters [are] very happy." On
November 20th a second sharp resonance is observed, beam energy required is 1.85 GeV, better for SSRP than November
8th, but still not much x-ray flux. |
1975 |
National Science Foundation funds a second main beam line and a general expansion of laboratory facilities
at SSRP. |
1975 |
Brian Kinkaid, who played a major role in the development of the SSRP EXAFS facility, completes his Ph.D., the
first to be awarded for work done at SSRP. |
1976 |
Cullie Sparks of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory led the team that did the search for superheavy elements
at SSRP in 1976. The synchrotron radiation experiments definitively showed that the claims for the presence of
superheavy elements in some minerals were inaccurate. |
5/1976 |
A second beam line with 4 additional synchrotron radiation experimental stations begins operating at SPEAR |
12/1976 |
SSRP user community numbers almost 200 scientists from 52 different institutions, with 138 active research
proposals. NSF approves SSRP expansion proposal, including new experimental hall, new beam lines, and a
wiggler magnet. |
4/1977 |
SSRP Wiggler Workshop: A three-day workshop on the subject of Wiggler magnets is held at SLAC on March
21-23, 1977, and is attended by about 60 scientists from 17 laboratories around the world. |
9/1/1977 |
SSRP becomes Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) |
The First Beamlines
  |
Experimental Station |
Early Users / Investigators |
Design/Construction |
Notes |
1-1 |
4° Beam Line - UV and soft X-radiation <2keV |
F. Brown, R. Bachrach, S. Hagstrom (Xerox); I. Lindau, W. Spicer (Stanford University); D. Shirley (LBL) |
F. Brown et al. (Xerox Research Center). Soft X-ray Grazing Incidence Monochromator [Grasshopper] design by N.
Lien (University of Wisconsin), funded by Xerox Research Center. Grazing-incidence Mirror by U.S. Navy Michelson
Lab |
Operational May-June 1974 |
1-2 |
8° Rising Beam Line - UV [VUV] radiation <.3keV |
V. Rehn et al. (U.S. Navy Michelson Lab, China Lake); I. Lindau, W. Spicer (Stanford) |
V. Rehn et al. (U.S. Navy Michelson Lab). McPherson Normal Incidence Monochromator and Grazing-incidence Mirror
contracted by U.S. Navy Michelson Lab |
Operational June 1974 |
1-3 |
X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) |
I. Lindau, S.Doniach, W.Spicer, P.Pianetta* (Stanford); P. Citrin (Bell Lab) |
I. Lindau (Stanford), Double crystal Monochromator design by P. Pianetta*
High vacuum sample chamber and energy analyzer by I. Lindau |
Operational May 1974 (Also used during 1973-74 Pilot Project) |
1-4 |
X-ray diffraction (Biology Beam Line)- Low angle diffraction camera |
N.Webb et al. (California Institute of Technology); I. Matsubara (University of Tokyo); K. Hodgson (Stanford) |
N.Webb et al. (California Institute of Technology) funded and built Grazing-incidence monochromator (curved
crystal, double-focusing) with low angle diffraction camera |
Operational June 1974 |
1-5 |
Extended X-ray Absorption-edge Fine Structure (EXAFS) |
P. Eisenberger (Bell Lab); S. Doniach, B. Kincaid,* M. Weissbluth, A. Bienenstock, S. Hunter* (Stanford); F.
Lytle (Boeing), D. Sayers, E. Stern (University of Washington) |
P. Eisenberger (Bell Lab), D. Sayers (University of Washington) Rapidly Tunable Hard X-ray Monochromator
(channel-cut silicon crystal) funded by Bell Lab and Seattle Group (Boeing and University of Washington) |
Operational May 1974 |
*Graduate students
Sources (in chronological order)
Contemporary
- W. E. Spicer to W. Panofsky and E. Garwin, "Use of Cyclotron Radiation from Storage
Ring for Solid State Studies," 6/18/1968
- S. Doniach and H. Winick, Activity
Report to National Science Foundation: Period May 1973-December 1974
- Herman Winick and Bill Kirk, "SSRP: Stanford Sychrotron Radiation Project,"
The SLAC Beam Line, special section, 1/1975
- Herman Winick, "Major Expansion of Facilities for SSRP," The SLAC Beam
Line, 7/1975, p.2
- K.O. Hodgson, H. Winick, and G. Chu, Synchrotron Radiation Research and the Stanford Sychrotron Radiation
Project: The Experience and Prospects of Using a Multi GeV Storage Ring (SSRP Report No.76/100) 8/1976,
Introduction and Chapter IV:
Present SSRP Facility
- Synchrotron Radiation Research, SLAC Beamline Special Section, February 1977
- Herman Winick, "SSRP News: The Wiggler Workshop," The SLAC Beam Line,
4/1977, p.3-4
- "SSRP News: SSR'P' Goes to 'L'," The SLAC Beam Line, 8/1977, p.5
Later histories and personal narratives
- Arthur Bienenstock, "Burton
Richter and SSRL," presentation at A Celebration Honoring Burton
Richter, 1/21/2000 (streaming video)
- John Harris and Herman Winick, "SSRL Report: SPEAR Becomes a Shared
Facility,"The SLAC Beam
Line,
1-2/1980, p.14-15
- Herman Winick, "SSRL at 20 Years: Some Personal
Rememberances of the Early Days," The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory Users Newsletter,
10/1993
- Sebastian Doniach, Keith Hodgson, Ingolf Lindau, Piero Pianetta, and Herman Winick, Early Work with Synchrotron Radiation
at Stanford. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation (1997) 4, 380-395. Note: This article is from a Special Issue of Journal of Synchrotron
Radiation that marked the 50th anniversary of the first observation of synchrotron radiation
light.
The Archives also holds: a video of Herman Winick giving an illustrated talk about the history of SSRP/SSRL,
including time-lapse footage of the set up of Cullie Sparks' experiment; snapshots of folks at work; and further
information about the X-ray science conducted here.
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