The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), a Directorate of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), is an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by Stanford University. The SSRL SPEAR3 3-GeV, high-brightness third-generation storage ring, upgraded in 2004, operates at 500 mA in top-off mode, with high reliability and low emittance. SSRL’s extremely bright x-rays are a resource for researchers to study our world at the atomic and molecular level, leading to major advances in energy production, environmental remediation, nanotechnology, new materials, biology and medicine. SSRL provides unique educational experiences and serves as a vital training ground for future generations of scientists and engineers.
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- Since SSRL began in 1974, users have published over 16,600 papers, with 25% in high-impact journals.
- Of the approximately 1,700 scientists who annually participate in experiments at SSRL, ~20% are first-time users and ~61% are postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
Latest News From SSRL
USA, Menlo Park (California)

Energy: 3 GeV
Current: 500 mA
Operational Beamlines: 24
Horizontal emittance: 10 nm rad
Vertical emittance: 14 pm rad
Standard proposals can be submitted 3 times a year.
- For X-ray/VUV beam lines: May 1, August 1, Nov 1
- For Macromolecular Crystallography beam lines: April 1, July 1, Dec 1.