European XFEL enters operation phase

World's largest X-ray laser starts operation - milestone en route to official opening on September 1. The world’s largest X-ray laser, the European XFEL, has entered its operation phase, a press release said Tuesday (July 4, 2017). The X-ray laser produces extremely bright and short X-ray flashes with the help of specialised experiment stations and gives scientists entirely new insights into the atomic details and processes of the nano world.

Engineers and scientists at European XFELand DESY have spent the past weeks ensuring that experiment stations are fully equipped and that the X-ray beam meets the required parameters. The European XFEL Council agreed on June 29, 2017 that conditions for the start of operations have been met and released the designated funds. First experiments have already begun for commissioning purposes. User operation for scientific research purposes is scheduled from September.

Katharina Fegebank, Senator for Science, Research and Equality, said: “I am delighted that the transition to the operating phase has gone smoothly. The opening is next and there are no obstacles to user operations from September. When the first scientists from all over the world start their research with this super X-ray laser in autumn, this will give Hamburg as a centre of research an enormous boost. The European XFEL will make the metropolitan region the world’s ‘place to be’ for research with free, electron lasers.”

Scientific co-operation in Europe

The facility had to meet several pre-determined, technical requirements to qualify for the transition from the commissioning to operating phase. Accordingly, the pulses of the X-ray laser at a wavelength of maximally two Ångströms (0.2 nanometres) had to reach a typically high intensity and remain stable. Two experiment stations of the first beamline had to be sufficiently equipped to conduct the first scientific experiments.

Prof. Martin Meedom Nielsen, Chairman of the European XFEL Council, said: “The member states are very pleased and excited about the great achievements made at the European XFEL, which mean we can now start the operation phase of this world-leading X-ray science facility. This major milestone has been eagerly awaited by the international user community, who are busily preparing for experiments that will break new scientific ground. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the European XFEL management and staff, and to the accelerator consortium led by DESY, for their dedication and hard work.” 

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