ALBA synchrotron: traveling at the speed of light to push science’s horizons

Traveling at the speed of light. Can you imagine? That's what they do at the ALBA synchrotron – the only particle accelerator of its kind in Catalonia and across Spain, and the biggest in the Mediterranean. 

Electrons are accelerated by creating tiny synchrotron light beams, which allow researchers to visualize and analyze matter better at an atomic and a molecular level. Or, as one of the venue's longest-standing experts, Salvador Ferrer, puts it:  "This is a center that generates X-rays. X-ray beams are used for the common things of X-rays. One of the things is for radiographies [X-rays], for example. So here we do radiographies on cells."

Medicine, radiology, biology, electronics, chemistry and materials science are just some of the fields that benefit from this center. 

Finding a treatment for Alzheimer's is one of the current challenges that is being investigated at ALBA, as well as cancer. Indeed, a study on the origin of calcium was published recently, and the results could be used to find bone cancer therapies.

Synchrotron's contribution to Covid-19

The Synchrotron can be key for studying the main challenges humankind faces in the 21st century, such as health issues including, at the moment Covid-19, and climate change, sustainability as well as attaining a circular economy.

One of ALBA's labs is called Mistral and is devoted to cryo nano-tomography in the water window for biological applications. And one of these applications currently in operation is developing the "possibility of looking at cells infected by Covid-19 in high resolution, among the best in the world," director Caterina Biscari told Catalan News.