University beams into national research machine

Jason Tozer

Professor Creagh designed part of the Australian Synchotron Photo: Michelle Khoo

15 August 2006: The University of Canberra has joined a consortium with the NSW Government and 12 other universities, which has committied $5 million to the national Australian Synchrotron partnership.

The Australian synchrotron is a research machine the size of a cricket ground built on an old drive-in theatre site at Monash University in Melbourne. It can be used for research in a number of scientific fields including forensics, pharmaceuticals and molecular biology.

When fully operational in July next year, the synchrotron will have between six and nine 'core beamlines' that emit intense light with wavelengths ranging from x-rays to infra-red.

The University of Canberra's Dudley Creagh has been involved in working with synchrotron radiation since 1993 and designed the infrared beam line for the Australian Synchrotron.

Professor Creagh says access to the synchrotron by the University's forensic, ecological, and virology researchers will bring another dimension to their research capabilities.

The University has a number of existing research projects that will benefit from the aid of the synchrotron including those in conjunction with the National Archives of Australia (NAA), the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) and the National Museum of Australia (NMA).

"In our collaboration with the NAA we investigate the ageing of written records and seek ways of stabilising old parchments and papers against the acidity of 19 th century inks," Professor Creagh said.

With the NMA the University has been looking at techniques which can be used for determining the provenance of indigenous artwork, which commonly contain ochres.

"We're trying to link the ochre used as paint on artefacts with ochres from traditional mine sites to determine the tribe who painted it and at what time," he said.  

Professor Creagh said the synchrotron allows researchers to perform multiple experiments at once giving them faster and more accurate results.

"With a synchrotron you can use many research techniques concurrently and get immediate complementary results," he said.

"Samples from artefacts can be as small as pinheads, and intense synchrotron x-ray beams are ideal for examining them plus measurements can be made in minutes rather than days."