Société Civile Synchrotron SOLEIL
Contact: Amor Nadji
SOLEIL is a 3rd generation synchrotron radiation facility aiming at delivering photon beams on 26 beamlines to national and European users on a free-access basis. 19 beamlines are presently operational and open to external visiting scientists; this number will reach 23 by the end of 2012 and 26 by the end of 2014. The exceptional characteristics of its synchrotron light allow a considerable advance in the quality of measurements when compared to those obtained via classic laboratory photonic techniques. Almost 2300 users were welcomed in 2010 on the beamlines after having been selected by 6 International Peer Review Program Committees.
The SOLEIL staff is composed of 357 permanent employees, either on secondment from research organizations (CEA, CNRS, universities) or directly recruited by SOLEIL. 80% of the staff has scientific or technical vocations. SOLEIL has developed a strong policy in terms of training, hosting permanently about 20 PhD students, 30 post-docs and a dozen of engineers under training alternating school and professional periods. About 50 SOLEIL personnel are regularly involved in training actions in regional Universities and prestigious High Schools. In the field directly linked to accelerator physics and technology, SOLEIL has already trained 3 PhD, about 20 undergraduate and 20 graduate students. In addition, there are presently 2 Postdocs within the accelerator team.