TSL Historical notes
The (Theodor) Svedberg (1884-1971) professor in physical chemistry at Uppsala University from 1912 to 1949
, was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1926 for his research on dispersed systems (colloidal solutions). He invented the ultracentrifuge, which was used in the discovery that proteins consist of macromolecules.
Towards the end of the 1930's The Svedberg and his colleagues built their first accelerator, a neutron generator. In 1945, a donation from the Gustaf Werner Corporation gave the opportunity to build a much larger accelerator, a synchrocyclotron. The Gustaf Werner Institute with the synchrocyclotron as the main research instrument was founded in 1949 and continued to act as a base for research in high-energy physics and radiation biology until 1986 when The Svedberg Laboratory was established.
Picture: The Svedberg inspects the cyclotron. Photo taken 28 february 1947. Source: Uptecknaren, nr 3 1986, Teknikum.
Picture: An aerial view of the pit that was digged out to put the cyclotron in. Photo taken 5 april 1947. Source: Uptecknaren, nr 3 1986, Teknikum.
Intensive discussions concerning the type and size of accelerators Swedish research in nuclear and high-energy physics should have at its disposal took place in early 1980's, One result of this process was that a decision was taken to bring the magnets of the so-called ICE-ring (Initial Cooling Experiment) from CERN to Uppsala. The accelerator ring was rebuilt as a cooler and storage ring and given the acronym CELSIUS (Cooling with ELectrons and Storing of Ions from the Uppsala Synchrocyclotron).
From 1994 until 2004 The Svedberg Laboratory was a national research facility funded to a large fraction from the Swedish Natural Science Research Council. It was open for research groups from universities and institutes in Sweden and abroad. The laboratory had a nationally recruited board and an international program advisory committee, which gave recommendations concerning the research program by examining proposals from the user groups. Uppsala University was acting as the host of the Laboratory.
The TSL has now been converted from a national laboratory into a university facility and new instructions for the laboratory came into operation July 1, 2004. The main activity of TSL is based on an agreement between Uppsala Academic Hospital and Uppsala University about continued proton therapy. The beamtime not used for proton therapy will be devoted to commercial neutron and proton irradiation projects. There will still be some time for basic (academic) research and in this case the experiments should be associated to Uppsala University or to EU projects.
Picture: An aerial view of the buildings today, the smaller house with big green roof is housing the cyclotron control room.