Instruments

At the European XFEL, scientists can make use of several sophisticated instruments to carry out their experiments.

Picture

There are seven instruments in the underground experiment hall of the European XFEL. The instruments are optimized for particular purposes. Each experiment requires light with special properties, such that the instruments are permanently assigned to the different light sources (beamlines) of the European XFEL. From control rooms beside each of the instruments, users can further adapt the light to the needs of their experiments. For example, the imaging of single particles such as biomolecules calls for radiation with especially short wavelengths, whereas the investigation of small objects in strong fields necessitates a high intensity and longer wavelengths.

All of the instruments were developed with the input of specialists from around the world. Some instruments also have entire sections or special devices contributed by international user consortia.

Instrument
Description
Tiny structures
Ultrafast processes
Extreme states
Light source
Status
FXE
Femtosecond X-ray experiments: time-resolved investigations of the dynamics of solids, liquids, gases
 

 

SASE1

User operation since Sept 2017
HED
High energy density science: investigation of matter under extreme conditions using hard X-ray FEL radiation, e.g. probing dense plasmas
 

SASE2

User operation since May 2019
MID
Materials imaging & dynamics: structure determination of nanodevices and dynamics at the nanoscale

 

SASE2

User operation since March 2019
SCS
Spectroscopy & coherent scattering: Investigation of electronic structure dynamics of strongly correlated materials, liquids and nano-systems using soft X-rays

 

SASE3

User operation since Dec 2018
SPB/SFX
Ultrafast coherent diffraction imaging of single particles, clusters and biomolecules: structure determination of single particles (atomic clusters, biomolecules, virus particles, cells), serial femtosecond crystallography

 

SASE1

User operation since Sept 2017
SQS
Small quantum systems: investigation of atoms, ions, molecules and clusters in intense fields and non-linear phenomena
 

SASE3

User operation since Nov 2018
SXP
Soft X-ray Port: Investigating the electronic and atomic properties of condensed matter systems at surfaces and interfaces using time resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in the soft x-ray regime.

  SASE3
In commissioning as of October 2022