EUROfusion takes over EIROforum presidency
In July 2018, EUROfusion is taking over the EIROforum Presidency. EIROforum combines the resources, facilities and expertise of its eight members (CERN, EMBL, EUROfusion, ESA, ESO, ESRF, European XFEL and ILL) to exploit European science to its fullest potential.
The United Kingdom officially joins European XFEL
The UK joined European XFEL as the research organization’s twelfth member state. In a ceremony at the British Embassy in Berlin, representatives of the UK government and the other contract parties including the German federal government signed the documents to join the European XFEL Convention. The UK’s contribution will amount to 26 million Euro, or about 2% of the total construction budget of 1.22 billion Euro (both in 2005 prices) and an annual contribution of about 2 % to the operation budget. The UK will be represented in European XFEL by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) as shareholder.
Biggest X-ray laser in the world generates its first laser light
In the metropolitan region of Hamburg, the European XFEL, the biggest X-ray laser in the world, has reached the last major milestone before the official opening in September. The 3.4 km long facility, most of which is located in underground tunnels, has generated its first X-ray laser light. The X-ray light has a wavelength of 0.8 nm—about 500 times shorter than that of visible light. At first lasing, the laser had a repetition rate of one pulse per second, which will later increase to 27 000 per second.
M. Meedom Nielsen and L. Börjesson elected by and for the European XFEL
The European XFEL welcomed Martin Meedom Nielsen as its Council Chairman, and Lars Börjesson as Council Vice Chairman. The two newly appointed persons begin their mandates during a period crucial to the success of the facility.
To manage the European XFEL, which is a non-profit company, 2 governance bodies have been set up. First, the Management Board is comprised of 5 directors who are working to implement and coordinate efforts for the completion and the operational running of the facility. Secondly, the Council, which is a supreme organ of the company, meets twice a year and decides on main issues of the construction or activities of…
France supports the European XFEL
With a contribution of 36 million euro toward the facility’s construction, France has officially joined the European XFEL as a shareholder country. France joins the 12 countries that have signed the European XFEL convention.
The European XFEL, currently under construction in the Hamburg area, will be an international research facility of superlatives: 27.000 X-ray flashes per second and a brilliance that is a billion times higher than that of the best conventional X-ray sources will open up completely new opportunities for science. The facility starts user operation in 2017…
New milestone reached for the European XFEL construction
On June 2013 an important milestone was reached for the European X-ray free-electron laser [XFEL] with the completion of its underground portion. Located in the Hamburg area (Germany), the European XFEL is one of the largest and most ambitious European projects to date. Starting full operations in 2016, the European XFEL is expected to generate intensive, ultrashort X-ray flashes that will open up entirely new areas of research with X-rays that are currently inaccessible. Organisations from 12 European countries…
