Editing Insertion device (section)

{{short description|Component of synchrotron light sources}}
{{More footnotes|date=January 2009}}
[[File:APS - Canted insertion device.jpg|thumb|Canted insertion device at the [[Advanced Photon Source]], [[Argonne National Laboratory]].]]

An '''insertion device''' ('''ID''') is a component in modern [[synchrotron light source]]s, so called because they are "inserted" into accelerator tracks. They are periodic magnetic structures that stimulate highly [[Synchrotron light source#Brilliance|brilliant]], forward-directed [[synchrotron radiation]] emission by forcing a stored [[charged particle beam]] to perform wiggles, or undulations, as they pass through the device. This motion is caused by the [[Lorentz force]], and it is from this oscillatory motion that we get the names for the two classes of device, which are known as [[Wiggler (synchrotron)|wiggler]]s and [[undulator]]s.
As well as creating a brighter light, some insertion devices enable tuning of the light so that different frequencies can be generated for different applications.