National Synchrotron Light Source

The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York was a national user research facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Built from 1978 through 1984, and officially shut down on September 30, 2014, the NSLS was considered a second-generation synchrotron.

The NSLS experimental floor consisted of two electron storage rings: an X-ray ring and a VUV (vacuum ultraviolet) ring which provided intense, focused light spanning the electromagnetic spectrum from the infrared through X-rays. The properties of this light and the specially designed experimental stations, called beamlines, allowed scientists in many fields of research to perform experiments not otherwise possible at their own laboratories.