by EH
October 2023 signified the 30th anniversary of the first beam and the commencement of operations at Elettra’s storage ring. This milestone serves as a momentous occasion to reflect on its achievements and gaze into the future with enthusiasm. Over these three decades, Elettra has firmly established itself as a leading research center in synchrotron light.
The celebration of the 30th anniversary is not just a moment of recognition for those who contributed to its construction and activities over the past three decades; it also represents an opportunity to outline future projects. Elettra 2.0 symbolizes the natural evolution of this scientific excellence, aiming to surpass current technological limitations and expand the frontiers of research and future developments in light sources.
The origin tale of Elettra Synchrotron intricately weaves the threads of scientific curiosity and the aspiration to metamorphose Trieste into a global epicenter for avant-garde research. While the European synchrotron eventually found solace in Grenoble, the gravitational pull of the Research Area tipped the scales, casting Trieste as the chosen site for erecting a national light machine. On November 4, 1986, the Consortium Company for Synchrotron Joint Stock Company was born, helmed by the Nobel laureate Carlo Rubbia, a luminary from Gorizia.
In the nomenclature of science and the vision to mold Trieste into a vanguard that gazes beyond conventional boundaries, an expedition embarked. This odyssey culminated on October 8, 1993, birthing the first stable beam of light in Basovizza after six years of tireless labor. In less than a lunar cycle, on November 3, the inaugural experiment unfolded beneath the banner of Elettra Synchrotron.
Fast-forward three decades, and the scientific enclave in Trieste pays homage to this anniversary, reminiscing about yesteryears with a hat-tip to the Garibaldian ethos of those pioneering moments while casting a gaze forward. Contemplating the horizon of 2025, when the antiquated Elettra will gracefully yield to a new fourth-generation luminous behemoth, projected to outshine its predecessor a thousandfold and boast a coherence 60 times more profound. Echoing sentiments from years gone by, Rosei mused, “When we actualized the Synchrotron on a pristine meadow, where the canvas was blank, it felt as though Triestina had clinched the World Cup in football. Here, amid profound respect for the pre-existing bastion of theoretical physics, the realm of experimental physics was but a blank canvas.”
With Elettra now standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of ICTP, SISSA, Area Science Park, TWAS, and ICGEB, the envisioned dream of luminaries such as Rosei, Fonda, Budinich, and Salam has crystallized—a dream wherein this borderland metamorphoses into an expansive, international terrain through the alchemy of scientific prowess.
