Electron gun out of order at Canadian Light Source

Experiments involving the synchrotron at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) have been cancelled while repairs are made on a critical piece of equipment.

User shifts have been cancelled until Nov. 16. Also, the CLS will not be issuing a call for proposals for new projects between January and June 2019.

“We recognize that this is an unprecedented outage for the CLS and we are doing everything possible to solve the problem,” CLS CEO Rob Lamb said in a press release.

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The unexpected shutdown began after the main electron gun’s 220,000 volt power supply failed, resulting in a loss of beam in the synchrotron on June 27.

The electron gun and its power supply were designed and built for the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory in 1978.

After initial repairs, it was determined the power supply’s transformer needs to be replaced.

CLS officials said the shipping, testing, installation and conditioning of the new components will take several weeks.

Located in Saskatoon, CLS annually hosts over 1,000 scientists from around the world who conduct health, agricultural, environmental, and advanced materials research.