• Question: To the Scientists, As this is the light zone it means you work with light in some way. How do you work with light at the moment, what has been your favourite way of working with it and why, and if you enjoy it. From Eddie Zoo

    Asked by Eddie Zoo to Dave, Ed, Guido, Hugh, Stef on 12 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Dave Bond

      Dave Bond answered on 12 Mar 2015:

      I work at Diamond Light Source. Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility located in Oxfordshire. Its purpose is to produce intense beams of light whose special characteristics are useful in many areas of scientific research. In particular it can be used to investigate the structure and properties of a wide range of materials from proteins to provide information for designing new and better drugs and engineering components such as a fan blade from an aero-engine, to conservation of archeological artifacts for example Henry VIII’s flagship the Mary Rose.

      I am involved with the scientific computing so not directly with the light. But with out the computing Diamond cannot opperate and with out the science I am out of a job. So we are all part of a team with one objective to further science.

    • Photo: Ed Rial

      Ed Rial answered on 13 Mar 2015:

      Hi Eddie

      I make insertion devices, special magnets we put in our particle accelerator. The magnets wiggle electrons and cause them to make light, many different kinds of light from Infra-red to very high energy X-rays.

      My favourite way of working is when we have to cool the magnets with liquid nitrogen or liquid helium. It’s really cool!

    • Photo: Hugh Harvey

      Hugh Harvey answered on 13 Mar 2015:

      I use X-rays (which are found on the electro-magnetic spectrum) to look at people’s insides.

    • Photo: Mariastefania De Vido

      Mariastefania De Vido answered on 15 Mar 2015:

      Hi Eddie!

      I design and build high energy lasers which emit very intense infrared light pulses. My favourite way of working with light is trying to find ways of designing lasers producing more and more energetic pulses. This will allow to understand how matter behaves at extreme conditions (for example at very high temperatures).

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