Synchrotron upgrade to make X-rays even brighter
The upgrade involves replacing old magnetic devices called wigglers with smaller, better ones called undulators, outfitted along the beam pipe in CESR (Cornell Electron Storage Ring). As continuously circulating electron or positron beams shoot through the undulators, arrays of magnets inside wave the beams back and forth. It’s this movement that produces the X-rays needed for CHESS experiments.