IHEP organizes conference on XFEL project

03.07.2008 // IHEP

IHEP has organized a conference on the European X-Ray Laser Project XFEL

On July 1–2 2008 the Institute for High Energy Physics (IHEP) conducted a conference on the European X-Ray Laser Project XFEL (Hamburg, Germany).

The unique X-ray laser flashes of the XFEL are expected to open up entirely new possibilities for experimentation. They will make it possible to film chemical reactions, map the atomic details of molecules, and capture three-dimensional images of the nanocosmos. As a result, the XFEL will attract leading researchers from all over the world.

The acronym XFEL stands for “X-ray free-electron laser” and describes the way the facility works: In the XFEL, electrons are first accelerated to high energies and then made to emit high-intensity X-ray laser flashes.

The X-ray laser is being planned as a European project with a strong connection to the DESY research center in Hamburg. Construction is set to begin in summer 2008, and commissioning will start at the end of 2013.

The key topic of the conference was the possibility of participation of Russian research companies in the project.

Representatives of the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY and six research centers of Russia attended the conference. Two Russian institutes will participate in the XFEL project as part of the International Accelerator Facility: IHEP (cryosystems and beam testing) and NIIEFA (Scientific Technical Institute of Electrophysical Apparatus) (magnet optics).