Open Access Facilities
Technology and research are at the heart of everything Harwell does. A unique combination of world-leading research and technology facilities mean teams and businesses are able to reach their full potential.
Diamond Light Source
This third generation synchrotron is a world leading, medium energy x-ray-source. It is used to study materials at microscopic level and produces light that is ten billion times brighter than the Sun. Its various beamlines have been used to study a vast range of subject matter, from fossils to jet engines, viruses to vaccines.
STFC: RAL Space
Part of the Science and Technology Council (STFC), RAL Space provides space test facilities, instrument and mission design, and studies on the science and technology requirements for new missions. The Integration and Testing Facility houses two 5m diameter vacuum chambers for testing instruments destined for use in space. It is the largest facility of its kind in the UK.
ISIS Neutron & Muon Source
The ISIS pulsed neutron and muon source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is only one of three such facilities that are operating in the world today. ISIS allows scientists to study materials at the atomic level using a suite of instruments described as ‘super microscopes’. It is the most productive research centre of its type in the world.
Central Laser Facility (CLF)
CLF is one of the world’s leading laser facilities, capable of recreating the conditions inside stars. It can be used to study biochemical and biophysical processes that form the basis of life itself.
The National Imaging Centre
Diamond Light Source provides a national centre for nanoscale imaging and physical sciences comprising the electron Bio-Imaging Centre, I14 Hard X-ray Nanoprobe and electron Physical Sciences Imaging Centre, with EM opportunities for both biology and physical sciences.
Research Complex at Harwell
RCaH is a multidisciplinary laboratory that provides facilities for researchers to undertake new and cutting-edge scientific research in both life and physical sciences.
Emerald
The UK’s most powerful GPU-based supercomputer is located at RAL, offering access for a broad range of applications including bioinformatics and developing new tools for processing medical images.
JASMIN
JASMIN is a ‘super-data-cluster’, half supercomputer and half data centre. It provides a globally unique computational environment for data analysis. It is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the UK Space Agency (UKSA), and delivered by STFC at Harwell.