It is operated as a user facility, meaning that it is open to the world’s scientific community, and more than 5,500 researchers make use of its resources each year.

The APS uses a series of particle accelerators to push electrons up to nearly the speed of light, and then injects them into a storage ring that is roughly two-thirds of a mile around.

Scientists use the X-rays generated by the APS to peer inside batteries, with the goal of creating longer-lasting, faster-charging energy storage devices;[1] to improve 3D printing for more durable materials;[2] to learn more about the behavior of charged particles in order to improve electronics;[3] and to map the brain to understand more about neurological diseases.

[5] The Experiment Hall surrounds the storage ring and is divided into 35 sectors, each of which has access to x-ray beamlines, one at an insertion device, and the other at a bending magnet.

[10] The result will be X-rays that are up to 500 times brighter than those currently generated, and beamlines that will enable greater focusing ability to examine smaller materials in sharper detail.