By Sameen Ahmed Khan, PhD and Azher Majid Siddiqui, PhD

06/03/2003

On January 6th 2003, Jordan’s King Abdullah laid the cornerstone for the Middle East Synchrotron known as SESAME. The first synchrotron source in the Middle East (a synchrotron is an exceedingly powerful source of light similar to but much more powerful than traditional X-rays) shall serve as a seed for a regional international research center, open to scientists in the region and beyond.

SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), hosted by Jordan and located in Allaan about 30km from the capital Amman, is based on the upgraded reincarnation of BESSY-I, which Germany gifted to the region of the Middle East in 1997. BESSY-I, the 800MeV synchrotron (MeV is a unit of energy equal to one million electron volts) fully functioning since 1982 in Berlin, is worth about sixty million $US.

One would have gone through the experience of an X-ray in a hospital some time or the other. X-rays are very well known and so widely used, that they require little introduction. Apart from a very useful medical diagnostic tool, X-rays are widely used in industry and a variety of applications such as materials science research, which is the backbone of the electronic revolution.

There is another source of light, namely the synchrotron radiation, which is much more powerful than the traditional X-rays. It was experimentally observed for the first time on April 24th 1947, in the 70MeV electron synchrotron built at the General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York and hence the name synchrotron radiation.

Synchrotron radiation (SR) has numerous advantages over the traditional X-ray sources and lasers. Synchrotron radiation laboratories are large sources of X-rays used to study materials at the atomic level. SR is produced by accelerating electrons in a large ring (several hundred meters in circumference) almost at the speed of light. This causes the electrons to emit X-rays with special properties. This phenomenon of emission of light (with very special properties) by the whirling electrons, now known by the familiar name synchrotron radiation, had its theoretical beginnings even before the discovery of X-rays in the nineteenth century. The accurate and very detailed prediction of the SR was a direct consequence of the unification of electricity and magnetism into electromagnetism by Faraday and Maxwell. Search for unity in basic laws of nature has lead to remarkable results.

The X-rays from a synchrotron are a billion times brighter than a typical clinical X-ray source. SR is the most powerful light produced by humans. Applications of X-rays are based on their ability to pass through matter, more the energetic the deeper they penetrate. This ability varies; for example wood and flesh are easily penetrated, but denser substances such a metals and bone are more opaque. Beams of X-rays emerge from the ring in tubes called beamlines, set at intervals around the ring. Instruments at the ends of the beamlines produce 3-D images of a variety of substances under study.

The applications of the SR span a wide range of applications in all scientific disciplines: chemistry, physics, biology, molecular medicine, and any other one can name. SR facilities are technologically challenging, requiring a team of dozens of experts even for their day-to-day running. These facilities are prohibitively costly, about several hundred million $US. In contrast, the X-ray machines in clinics can be run by a single person and cost just a few thousand $US. Hence, there are only a few SR facilities despite their numerous applications.

World wide there are about fifty SR facilities in operation, a dozen under construction and another dozen being planned. It requires several years and government patronage to build such facilities. In all there are twenty-three countries: Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine and USA. From this list it is very glaring that the continent of Africa is yet to have its first SR facility, South America has one and Australia is planning. In Asia there are twenty-nine synchrotrons located in nine countries. The United States has twelve. Synchrotrons breathe technology! Japan has seventeen, the highest figure for a single country. This is definitely interwoven with the grand industrial success of Japan. The region of the Middle East has just been blessed.

The Middle East center has been long overdue and is the first one of its kind in the region. The founders of the SESAME Project envisage a facility similar in aim to the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva, which brought together numerous scientists from countries that had fought each other during the two World Wars. Very much like CERN, SESAME is under the very valuable political umbrella of UNESCO and is expected to promote science and foster international cooperation.

SESAME shall cater to the synchrotron radiation needs of the region. A broad spectrum of planned research programs are underway, which include structural molecular biology, molecular environmental science, surface and interface science, micro-electromechanical devices, X-ray imaging, archaeological microanalysis, materials characterization, and medical applications.

A controlled and documented dismantling of Germany’s BESSY-I was completed by a team from Armenia and Russia, with funds from the SESAME member countries and UNESCO. In June 2002, the entire BESSY-I was shipped to Jordan, where it is being upgraded to a new configuration of 2000MeV.

The Center will be operated and supported by its thirteen member countries: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. Several countries are participating as observer countries, which include, Armenia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Russia, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA. Several other countries are also expected to join this new fount of science and medium of international cooperation. Annual operating costs will be about $US 3.5 million.

The European Commission is assessing the Project. Assuming a positive report it would try to scrape together $US 6-8 million to assist the SESAME Project. With the continued progress and support from the SESAME members and several other sources, research programs are expected to begin in 2006.

The African region is one of the economic blocks and is home to about 12% of the world’s population. Africa accounts for 11-45% of the world supply of eight major mineral commodities as well as 13% of the world’s bauxite, the principle source of aluminum. With all its natural resources Africa has remained weak and poor. African countries do not have any SR facility but are actively involved with the other light sources such as lasers. The African Laser, Atomic, Molecular and Optical Sciences Network (LAM), operating under the directorship of Ahmadou Wagué, has 27 regional coordinators across Africa and international contacts in 11 countries outside of Africa. The LAM held six international workshops on Laser Physics and its Applications since May 1991. Another organization is the recently created African Laser Center (ALC). Both organizations are working to promote the application of laser-based technologies in fields ranging from environment to health care. The numerous research groups in various disciplines across Africa can definitely benefit by employing synchrotrons. The question is not if Africa needs synchrotrons, but rather how to acquire them. It will be difficult for many of the fifty African countries to have SR sources of their own. The first step would be to launch the African Synchrotron Radiation Program (ASRP), which shall assist in coordinating African participation in SESAME and other synchrotron facilities worldwide. The proposed ASRP can play a pivotal role in creating SR facilities in Africa.

It may appear satisfying to see the Middle East joining the elite list of twenty-three countries with synchrotrons. But at the same time we cannot overlook the fact that the whole exercise is based on a German donation! Does Arab science need foreign financial assistance?

We need to recall the glorious period of science and technology in the Arab World. So far as the sciences are concerned, the Muslim Ummah has a very proud past. From 750 CE to 1100 CE, the Ummah had an absolute ascendancy in all the fields of knowledge then known, from astronomy to zoology. During this period, the Golden Age of Science, Muslims made numerous and multi-disciplinary contributions to humanity and the Islamic civilization. From 1100 CE, we shared this ascendancy with the emerging Europe. Since the 15th century we rapidly lost out.

This period of continuous decline paradoxically coincides with the great Empires of Islam: Ottoman in Turkey; Sufvi in Iran; and Mughal in India. The detailed account is available in the encyclopedic works of Sarton and Gibb. It is difficult to determine for certain all the causes responsible for the decline of science in Islam. However, it is very certain that the priorities (of the rulers) have been very different for too long a time.

As an example: while the Europeans were busy building numerous universities and institutions, the Mughal Emperors were busy building palaces and tombs! It is very ironic that the first international science center in the Arab World in the modern age is based on a second-hand donation from Germany, with financial support from several Western countries.

Arabs should be capable of evolving an Oil for Science & Development Program. Such a program can be achieved by increasing the crude-oil prices by a meager amount of 1-2%. The extra revenue thus generated would be in billions, enough to implement science and education programs all over the Arab & Muslim World, in addition to the continent of Africa. The suggested program needs a strong will & commitment from the Ummah and their rulers. In keeping with the successful experience of the numerous developed countries, we must remember, there are no short cuts. In conditions of today, a nation must impart hard scientific training to more than half of its manpower. Each country must allocate at least 1-2% of the GNP (gross national product) on R&D (research and development). The oil rich Arab countries are allotting even less than their poor African counterparts! Region-wise, figures in Table-A are a testimony to this stark reality. Arab countries also need to spend over 5.0% on education. About half the countries in the Muslim World are meeting the expenditure norms on education. But for R&D, they are far below the international norms. These figures are for civilian allotment. The expenditure on defense-oriented research is in addition to this.

Most of the Muslim countries are spending much less than the international norms of about 5.0% of their GNP on health. The reduced investment on R&D makes a significant difference. For instance, the entire Muslim world produces only 500 PhDs in all fields of science every year; in contrast, the UK alone produces 3,000. In 1999 the USA produced 1,600 PhDs in physics alone.

TABLE-A: Statistical Data for Regions 1996/1997 

Source: State of Science and Technology in the World 1996-1997

UNESCO Institute of Statistics (2001)

Muslim countries should create centers of excellence in science and technology; create scholarships to attract bright students to study and develop skills needed to raise their countries out of illiteracy and poverty. Will present day rulers care to build Palaces of Science, the Centers of Advanced Studies (Bait-ul-Hikmas)? Will they ever strive to create the Commonwealth of Science for Islamic Countries (Ummat-al-Ilm)? Unless and until steps are taken to address the above questions in a realistic manner, there can be no renaissance of science in the Islamic countries, let alone the ambitions of the creation of a Political Commonwealth of Islamic Countries. Without these, the Muslim countries (and their citizens) may never be able to lead a normal existence---full of dignity---in the comity of nations.

Large science projects have been a cementing force in the arena of international cooperation, between scientists and their governments. Several such projects played a pivotal role in the reconstruction of Europe by bringing together the countries that had fought each other during the two World Wars. Prominent European initiatives include, CERN (the European Laboratory for Particle Physics) in Geneva, and the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) in Grenoble, France. CERN, the world’s largest particle accelerator laboratory was founded in 1954. It was Europe’s first major joint venture. Starting with twelve signatories, the membership has grown to twenty member states. Several countries participate in other ways. The 6,500 scientists, half the world’s particle physicists, come to CERN for their research, representing 500 institutions from over 80 countries.

ESRF, a 6000MeV synchrotron X-ray source conceived in 1975 and supported by seventeen participating countries, is constantly pushing experimental possibilities to new limits. ESRF has a core membership of twelve European countries. Each is a corporate member and pays a percentage of the construction and operating costs. Its construction began in 1988 and the first fifteen beamlines were opened in 1994.

The process of large science collaborations across Europe played an important role in the formation of the European Union. The founders of the SESAME Project envisage a facility similar in aim to CERN and ESRF. The larger science projects cannot be realized by single countries, and are thus a source of international collaborations. This is much more true for countries with smaller scientific and/or economic resources. ESRF and CERN are excellent examples of such collaborations. Arab countries can closely examine these examples in their own perspective and work towards creating such facilities in Arab & Muslim lands. Large laboratories not only lead to a better understanding of nature, but also pave the path for many technological and commercial spin-offs. Here, we shall cite just one example: the creation of the World Wide Web at CERN. This is one of the many examples of technology transfer from big-science laboratories to industry and finally to the public.

The SESAME provides an interesting opportunity for collaboration and cooperation between scientists and their institutions in countries spread across the Middle East and beyond, until there is another synchrotron in the region. There should be an Arab Synchrotron, built on Arab soil with their own resources. Working together on the many common problems, scientists could become the frontline in promoting greater harmony, facilitating a purposeful attack on the formidable development issues faced by Arab countries.

Cooperative science is a laudable human endeavor and may indeed help the region and its people move towards a better future. The world is moving closer, economically, intellectually and scientifically.

International facilities can also be created in Africa. Given the cost and the lead-time in designing a new facility, we need to start preparing straightaway. In a few years, the proposed ASRP can evolve into an African Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ASRF), operated by several countries and modeled after ESRF and CERN. The Arab Synchrotron and ASRF may eventually set a trend for several other disciplines such as high-energy physics, space exploration and fusion research, to name a few.

Sources:

• Sameen Ahmed Khan, The World of Synchrotrons, Resonance, 6, No. 11, pp. 77-86 (November 2001), (Monthly Publication of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS)). E-Print arXiv: physics/0112086. http://www.arxiv.org/abs/physics/0112086/

• Sameen Ahmed Khan. ‘Synchrotron Radiation (in Asia)’. ATIP Report, 21 August 2002, 034, 28 pages (The Asian Technology Information Programme, Tokyo, Japan, 2002).

• World Synchrotron Map Website: http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/sr_sources.html

• Heather McCabe, Middle East’s synchrotron heads for Jordan, Nature, 20 April 2000, 404, 798

• Sameen Ahmed Khan. ‘Jordan to host Middle East Synchrotron’. ICFA Beam Dynamics Newsletter, August 2000, 22 6-7. (ICFA: International Committee for Future Accelerators).

• Editor. ‘Synchrotron light in the Middle East’, CERN Courier, June-August 1998, 38 (5) 28

• Matin Durrani. ‘Synchrotron up for grabs’, Physics World, July 1999, 12 (7), 11

• SESAME Website: http://www.sesame.org.jo/

• Ehsan Masood, ‘Middle East synchrotron facility could bring regional cooperation’. Nature, 10 June 1999, 399 507-508

• Herwig Schopper, ‘SESAME: a mini CERN for the Middle East’, March 2002 CERN Courier, 40 (2) 17-18

• Editor, ‘New international lab takes root in Jordan’, March 2003 CERN Courier, 43 (2).

• Matin Durrani, ‘Jordan lab breaks new ground’, Physics World, January 2003, 16 (1), 5

• Susan M. Reiss, Launching a New Laser Center in Africa, Optics & Photonics News, April 2002, 13 (4), 16-17; LAM Website: http://www.lamnetwork.org/

• George Sarton, Introduction to the history of science, in four volumes, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1962.

• H. A. R. Gibb, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, 1986.

Sameen Ahmed Khan has a PhD in "quantum aspects of beam physics"
from the Institute of Mathematical Science, Chennai, India.  He is currently doing post-doctoral research and may be reached at rohelakhan@hotmail.com.

Azher Majid Siddiqui has a PhD in "accelerator-based materials science" from the University of Hyderabad, India. He is currently doing post-doctoral research and may be reached at azherms@yahoo.com.

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