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Beamlines

The European XFEL will provide light sources (beamlines) for X-ray flashes with different properties.

When electron bunches are induced to follow a slalom course in the magnet arrangements – the so-called undulators – of the European XFEL, they emit flashes of X-ray radiation. The European XFEL will comprise different undulators, i.e. different light sources providing X-ray flashes with different properties.

Two of the undulators of the European XFEL are more than 200 metres long. They are assembled from 5-metre-long segments aligned one behind the other with a distance of 1.1 metres between them. These gaps between the segments will be used to install elements for electron beam diagnostics and control.

The strength of the magnetic fields in the undulators can be varied – a higher magnetic field resulting in a wider slalom course and thus in X-ray radiation with a longer wavelength.

Undulators as planned in the Technical Design Report 2006
SASE 1 SASE 2 SASE 3 U1 U2
wavelengths 0.1 nm 0.1-0.4 nm 0.4-1.6 nm 0.01-0.06 nm 0.01-0.06 nm
laserlike/coherent yes yes yes no no
polarization linear linear circular, linear linear linear
photon energy 12.4 keV 3.1-12.4 keV 0.8-3.1 keV 20-100 keV 20-100 keV
instruments SPB, MID FXE, HED SQS, SCS
undulator length 201.3 m 256.2 m 128.1 m 61 m 61 m
number of segments 33 42 21 10 10