World-first in laser research
McGill physicist Mark Sutton to be member of Quebec-based ALLS project
Mark Sutton, a McGill University physicist, will soon be using the world's quickest and most powerful multi-wavelength lasers for his experiments. Sutton is part of a Quebec-based laser research facility, funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which will bring together biologists, chemists and physicists from Canada to Japan.
The CFI announced today that it was financing the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS), based at the Université du Québec-Institut national de la recherche scientifique in Varennes. The CFI has invested $20.95 million to support the development of an innovative femtosecond laser system — faster than a nanosecond or a picosecond — which will be comprised of five lasers that will function over a wide range of wavelengths.
ALLS project scientists will be the first in the world to use multiple wavelength laser technology. "The ALLS technology will give us the flexibility needed to analyze changing molecular structures or to determine where every atom is at every time during a chemical reaction," explains Sutton, an expert in x-ray intensity fluctuation spectroscopy. "The ALLS project will provide researchers with snapshots of the chemical reactions of biological systems."
It will take three to five years for the ALLS project to be up and running. Many little pieces will need to be assembled, says Sutton: "Enough pieces to fill a gymnasium."
The ALLS project involves a consortium of eight Canadian universities (see accompanying backgrounder) and was funded by the CFI's International Joint Ventures Fund. "The ALLS project will help create a stimulating and innovative training environment to better prepare young Canadians for a wide range of careers," said Carmen Charette, CFI interim President and CEO.
"A strong base of advanced science and research is key to Canada's ability to stay in the forefront of technological advancements and compete in the global marketplace," said the Honourable Lucienne Robillard, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. "Providing our researchers with state-of-the-art research infrastructure will help ensure sustained economic growth in our communities."
BACKGROUNDER: Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS)
This $20.95-million international infrastructure project provides the laser research community with a world-class, Canada-based international Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS). The facility, the first of its kind in the world, will offer a new laser-based approach to the dynamic investigation of matter. The facility will enable innovative research in areas such as biology, medicine, chemistry, physics and telecommunications.
The multi-beam femtosecond laser system, comprising five beam lines, will function at a wide range of wavelengths. Once in place, the facility will allow the researchers to manipulate matter and to probe its dynamics in a way that is not currently possible. For example, the new advanced laser light source facility will detect diseases such as breast cancer at an even earlier stage.
In addition to providing a laser research facility to Canadian researchers and graduate students, ALLS will attract scientists from a number of world-class research institutes, including:
- Technical University of Vienna, Austria;
- Laboratoire d'Optique et Biologie, École Polytechnique de Paris, France;
- Rikken Research Centre, Japan;
- University of Chicago;
- University of Michigan;
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, France.
The funds for the establishment of an international facility have been awarded to a consortium of eight institutions, with the administrative centre at the Université du Québec-Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS). These institutions are:
- INRS;
- University of British Columbia;
- University of Alberta;
- University of Toronto;
- University of Western Ontario;
- Université Laval;
- McGill University;
- National Research Council of Canada.
This announcement is the eighth of nine large-scale international research projects being funded under the CFI's two International Funds — the International Joint Ventures Fund and the International Access Fund. The International Joint Ventures Fund, which includes projects such as ALLS, supports the establishment of a small number of very high profile research infrastructure projects in Canada to take advantage of extraordinary research opportunities with leading facilities in other countries that will bring significant benefits to Canada.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent corporation created in 1997 by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. The CFI's mandate is to strengthen the ability of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and other non-profit institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that will benefit Canadians.
