Earnings per Share (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Bruker Corporation, as reported (in dollars)	$ 19.8	$ 27.4	$ 53.2	$ 66.1
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Weighted average shares outstanding-basic	165.6	164.5	165.4	164.3
Effect of dilutive securities:
Stock options and restricted stock	1.3	1.2	1.6	1.3
Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted	166.9	165.7	167.0	165.6
Net income per common share attributable to Bruker Corporation shareholders:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.12	$ 0.17	$ 0.32	$ 0.40
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.12	$ 0.17	$ 0.32	$ 0.40
Stock options.
Anti-dilutive securities
Number of shares excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share (in shares)	0.2	0.5	0.2	0.4