European XFEL

The principle of a free-electron laser

Electrons are first brought to high energies in a superconducting accelerator. They then fly on a slalom course through a special arrangement of magnets (the "undulator"), in which they emit laserlike flashes of radiation.

Location

The European XFEL will begin on the DESY site in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld and run underground to the research site, south of the town of Schenefeld (Schleswig-Holstein).

Location

The European XFEL will run from the DESY site in Hamburg to the research site, south of Schenefeld (Schleswig-Holstein).

DOP, FHH, Landesbetrieb Geoinf. und Vermessung, LGV41-07-130//DOP, (c) LVermA S-H 2007, S 389/07//Kerstin Schürmann/ formlabor

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Acceleration in a resonator

Electromagnetic fields accelerate the electrons in superconducting resonators.

Superconducting accelerator element

Structures of niobium, so called resonators, are used in the European XFEL to accelerate the electrons. At a temperature of minus 271 degress Celsius, they lose their electrical resistance.

Generation of X-ray flashes

To generate the extremely short and intense X-ray laser flashes bunches of high-energy electrons are directed through special arrangements of magnets (the green-blue structure).

European XFEL / Marc Hermann, tricklabor

Undulator

To generate the extremly short and intense X-ray laser flashes bunches of high-energy electrons are directed through special arrangements of magnets.

Photo montage of the site DESY-Bahrenfeld 1

Three new buildings will be constructed on the site DESY-Bahrenfeld: the overhead hall of the large underground injector complex, to the left the entrance building with an access shaft to the tunnel and next to it the big modulator hall for the electricity supply.

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Photo montage of the site DESY-Bahrenfeld 2

Three new buildings will be constructed on the site DESY-Bahrenfeld: the overhead hall of the large underground injector complex, to the left the entrance building with an access shaft to the tunnel and next to it the big modulator hall for the electricity supply.

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Visualization of the site DESY-Bahrenfeld

Right: The injector complex which provides the electrons for the facility. Middle: the entrance building that provides access to the accelerator. Left: the modulator hall in which the electromagnetic pulses required for the acceleration of the electrons are generated.

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Photo montage of the site Osdorfer Born

Under the 1.6-hectare site Osdorfer Born, the electron bunches are distributed into the light generation tunnels for the first time. The site will house a new hall as well as infrastructure installations for power, ventilation and water

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Photo montage of the site Osdorfer Born 1

Under the 1.6-hectare XFEL site Osdorfer Born, the electron bunches are distributed into the light generation tunnels for the first time. The site will house a new hall as well as infrastructure installations for power, ventilation and water.

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Visualization of the site Osdorfer Born

Beneath the switchyard hall, the accelerated electrons will be distributed to the various tunnels for the first time. In addition, all the electrons that cannot be used any further will be stopped here.

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Photo montage of the site Schenefeld 1

The 15-hectare XFEL site Schenefeld will house the future European XFEL research center, where around 350 people will work. Here are constructed the big U-shaped main building, supply halls for the underground tunnel "fan", the information and exhibition center, and the canteen.

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Photo montage of the site Schenefeld 2

The 15-hectare XFEL site Schenefeld will house the future European XFEL research center, where around 350 people will work. Here are constructed the big U-shaped main building, supply halls for the underground tunnel "fan", the information and exhibition center, and the canteen.

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Visualization of the experimental hall (architectual example)

Architectural example of the central building: The tunnels from which the X-ray flashes are led to the experimental stations will end in the underground hall beneath the main building. This will house labs and offices, seminar rooms, an auditorium, and a specialist library.

Visualization of the underground experimental hall

Architectural example of the central building: The tunnels from which the X-ray flashes are led to the experimental stations will end in the underground hall beneath the main building. This will house labs and offices, seminar rooms, an auditorium, and a specialist library

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Visualization of the undulator tunnel

The main part of the facility is located in underground tunnels. This is where the electrons are accelerated and induced to generate the X-ray radiation.

European XFEL / Kontor B3

Tunnel boring machine

The first of two tunnel boring machines that are being used for the construction of the European XFEL.

Tunnel boring machine at Hamburg port

The first of the two tunnel boring machines for the European XFEL arrived on 29 April 2010 by waterway in the port of Hamburg, where it will be stored temporarily until its transport to the construction site Schenefeld.

European XFEL

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FLASH interlock system

During operation of FLASH, access to the accelerator is closed by a control system customary at DESY. As soon as this door is opened in operation, the accelerator is turned off automatically.

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Beamline at FLASH

One of the beamlines in the FLASH experiment hall.

Experiment at FLASH

One of the experiments at the measuring stations in the FLASH experimental hall.

Diffraction image of a nanostructure

... taken in an experiment at the free-electron laser facility FLASH in Hamburg using a single ultra-short, extremely intensive and coherent laser shot of just 25 femtoseconds duration.

Nanostructure and reconstruction

The sample with a milled nanostructure for the "single-shot image" experiment at the FLASH facility and its reconstruction as a result of the diffraction image. The sample was an only 20-nanometers thick and 20-micrometers to 20-micrometers tiny membrane with a milled nanostructure - the two cowboys in the sun.

Peak brilliance in comparison

The peak brilliance of free-electron lasers exceeds the brilliance of the most modern synchrotron radiation sources by several orders of magnitude.

European XFEL

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Layout of instrument SPB

Photon shutter (960 m), compression optics, apertures, intensity monitor, 1-20 μm focusing, differential pumping, extreme focusing (979 m), sample chamber (980 m), detectors, intensity monitor, spectrum monitor, wavefront monitor and beam stop (985 m)

European XFEL

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Layout of instrument MID

Photon shutter (950 m), apertures, intensity monitor, beam-split-and-delay, local monochromator, local focusing, differential pumping, extreme focusing (960 m), sample chamber (984 m), intensity monitors, time domain monitor, spectrum monitor, wavefront monitor, detectors (1004 m) and beam stop (1005 m)

European XFEL

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Layout of instrument FXE

Photon shutter (960 m), beam-split-and-delay, apertures, intensity monitor, differential pumping, visible laser in, sample chamber (975 m), detectors, time domain monitor, intensity monitor, spectrum monito and beam stop (980 m)

European XFEL

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Layout of instrument HED

Photon shutter (900 m), beam-split-and-delay, apertures, intensity monitor, extreme focusing (925 m), differential pumping, visible laser in, sample chamber (920 m), detectors, intensity monitor, time domain monitor, spectrum monitor, wavefront monitor and beam stop (925 m)

European XFEL

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Layout of instrument SQS

Photon shutter (400 m), apertures, intensity monitor, differential pumping, extreme focusing, visible laser in, sample chamber (920 m), detectors, intensity monitor, time domain monitor, spectrum monitor, wavefront monitor and beam stop (425 m)

European XFEL

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Layout of instrument SCS

Photon shutter (400 m), beam-split-and-delay, apertures, intensity monitor, differential pumping, visible laser in, extreme focusing (430 m), sample chamber (431 m), area X-ray detector, intensity monitor, time domain monitor, spectrum monitor, wavefront monitor and beam stop (440 m)

European XFEL

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Ribosom

Ribosomes are large molecular complexes that act as "protein factories" and occur in every cell. The X-ray laser opens up completely new opportunities to decipher such biological structures with atomic resolution without the need for the extra step of tediously growing them into crystals first.

MPG

Explosion of a biomolecule

Biomolecules are destroyed by intense X-ray radiation: they "explode". The illustration shows a simulation of this process. In order to obtain a usable image of the biomolecule, the image must be recorded very quickly before the sample is destroyed.

Filming chemical reactions

Firstly, a chemical reaction is triggered by a laser flash. A second laser pulse is then sent at varying intervals after the first one to take instantaneous snapshots of the changes that have occurred in the molecule.

Cluster physics

Clusters are tiny collections of atoms or molecules. The picture shows the model calculation of a copper particle with the size of 17000 atoms - a cluster which plays a role in catalytic processes.

Creating and investigating plasmas

With an X-ray laser, plasmas can be created that are as hot as the interiors of giant stars. At the same time, it will be possible to investigate the plasmas at varying time intervals with another part of the laser beam and thus to conduct research into the plasma state.

Aerial view of the DESY site

The aluminium-coloured building in the foreground is the experimental hall for FLASH, the free-electron laser for soft X-rays. The site of the DESY research center and the large experimental hall of PETRA III are in the background.

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Images