The Canadian Light Source (CLS) is a national research facility of the University of Saskatchewan and has been the flagship science facility on its campus for over 20 years. This metal and glass giant is built on the foundations of world-class innovation with deep roots in local science history.
The origins of the CLS can be traced back to discovery of X-rays by physicist Wilhelm Rontgen in 1895. His scientific breakthrough led to some of the greatest advancements in scientific discovery including medical imaging and the solved structure of DNA.
Synchrotrons made their debut 52 years later, when a team of American scientists built the first machine in 1947 and used it to observe the radiation the machine generated. At first, synchrotron radiation was misunderstood— since it causes particles to lose energy it was viewed as problematic. It wasn’t until 1960 that synchrotron radiation was seen as a scientific tool with significant capabilities. By the 1970s, synchrotrons were developed to produce powerful X-rays capable of shining bright light on scientific experimentation.
These global scientific endeavours set the stage for the CLS, but it was the early nuclear physics research at the University of Saskatchewan that helped to lay the groundwork for the CLS.
The University of Saskatchewan was home to Canada’s first betatron. This particle accelerator was established in 1948 and used to advance the nuclear physics research and cancer therapy programs already underway in Saskatchewan. Three years later, doctors used the first Cobalt-60 therapy unit to treat cancer patients — a breakthrough for esteemed Canadian Physicist Harold E. Johns and his team. \
The project celebrated many firsts and involved the expertise of local scientists, including the only woman conducting Canadian medical-physics research in the 1950s, Sylvia Fedoruk.
In 1961, it was announced that a Linear accelerator (LINAC) would be built on the USask campus, a milestone in physics research for the university. The Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory was established in 1964 with Canadian physicist Leon Katz as the founding director.
The Synchrotron Radiation Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison opened in 1968 and housed Tantalus, the first storage ring for synchrotron radiation. Just seven years later the first Canadian experiment was done at the facility, jump-starting Canada’s involvement in synchrotron science. With the help of the National Research Council, the first Canadian beamline was built at the Canadian Synchrotron Radiation Facility, inside Wisconsin’s Synchrotron Radiation Center, in 1978.
By the end of the 1980s the Canadian Synchrotron Radiation Facility expanded its operation to three beamlines — Grasshopper, DCM and SGM. It soon became apparent that Canadian researchers saw the value of synchrotron science and were outgrowing these satellite facilities. The creation of the Canadian Institute for Synchrotron Radiation in 1990 helped to mobilize the scientific community to champion for a national facility in Canada. Soon after, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada recommended the development of a national facility. This announcement ushered in the start of provincial campaigns focused on bringing this prestigious project to their jurisdiction.
The foundational work that began in the late 1940s helped the University of Saskatchewan win the bid to become the home of the CLS project, after intense competition with the University of Western Ontario (now Western). With the help of local interest and support from civic and provincial governments, the Canadian synchrotron was officially awarded to the University of Saskatchewan in a 1999 announcement by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
After 35 years of dedicated research, the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory was incorporated into the CLS. Construction of the CLS began in the autumn of 1999, and the experimental hall was completed in 2001. The official grand opening of the CLS was held on October 22, 2004, and the first user was welcomed into the facility the following May to conduct an experiment on the VLS-PGM beamline.
This first experiment set the stage for incredible discoveries that have helped to advance health, agriculture, environment and materials research. Since operations began, almost 6,000 researchers have used CLS to conduct experiments in many disciplines and sectors. From helping in the fight against COVID-19 to creating new cancer-fighting drugs, developing more nutritious and climate-resistant crops and supporting clean-tech and green mining processes, CLS’s infrastructure and experts help researchers solve problems, train the next generation of scientists, and support industries to become more efficient and sustainable.
CLS operations are funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the University of Saskatchewan.