A new X-ray free-electron laser installation
The project is known as ʹPreparatory activities for the implementation of the European X-ray free-electron laser facilityʹ (PRE-XFEL), and it has created a limited liability company under German law called the European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility GmbH (European XFEL GmbH). The facility will be used, for example, to determine the atomic configuration of materials and molecules. Participating research institutions are shareholders in the company, and over 80 employees are active in the construction and management of the facility. Many international laboratories will also contribute the components required for the facility's operations. These include the devices that produce ultra-short bursts of coherent X-rays, photon beamlines and instrumentation systems. The potential scientific use of the facility after 2015 has also been discussed with the community in a series of meetings across eight countries. Young scientists have been included through information days at schools. The European Community's research directorate (European Strategy Forum for Research infrastructures (ESFRI)), national government research funding agencies, the academic community and European industry all stand to benefit from the new facility. As such, PRE-XFEL has played a vital role in realising the potential of this instrument.
