Newsline

Tag archive: XFEL

From DESY: European XFEL accelerator components go into production

16 September 2010 An important milestone was reached on the way to the European XFEL superconducting linear accelerator: the start of the industrial production of the superconducting accelerator structures. Yesterday and today, kick-off workshops took place to coordinate the future collaboration of DESY with two industrial firms. The superconducting accelerator structures are a joint contribution of DESY and INFN Milano, coordinated by DESY. Category: Feature | Tagged: , ,

Progress on China’s collaboration with XFEL and FAIR

| 2 September 2010 The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (European XFEL) and the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) are two important international cooperative science facilities mainly led by Germany. China has participated in the R&D of some detectors, low-temperature systems, high-performance undulators, superconducting material and special material for these projects. On 29 August 2008, the project "Basic Research on the FEL and FAIR" supported by China's national programme for key basic research and development (officially called 973 programme) started. The project is coordinated by the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science (IHEP), and about ten different research institutes, universities and corporations in China participate in this project, including the Institute of Modern Physics, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Orient Tantalum Industry Corp. (OTIC), etc. Category: Around the World | Tagged: , , ,

Cryomodule surpasses ILC gradient test

| 1 October 2009 A cryomodule prototype for the European XFEL has set the world gradient record for cryomodules built with superconducting radiofrequency technology, reaching an average accelerating gradient of more than 32 megavolts per metre (MV/m) in recent tests. This is an important step towards major goals set for the ILC’s Technical Design Phase (TDP), which include demonstrating system performance of fully fitted cryomodules like the record prototype. The accelerator module will be built into the FLASH free-electron laser at DESY, making it possible to increase the FLASH energy to 1.2 GeV. This means that even shorter wavelengths down to 4.5 nanometers will be available for experiments starting next year. Category: Around the World | Tagged: , ,

From football field to field strengths

| 3 September 2009 It takes vision to be able to image the transformation of one thing into another. Take a football field, for example. What are your associations – running, competition, goals, fun? And now imagine you want to build a new accelerator. What would you use the field for? The European XFEL team at DESY did not have to reflect for very long: acceleration, competition, goals? An accelerator module test facility of course! It’s only a small step to the next vision: an accelerator module test facility for the ILC… Category: Around the World | Tagged: ,

Digging deep

| 12 February 2009 The small town of Schenefeld just outside Hamburg in northern Germany isn't exactly known for its sights or its tourism. Many Schenefeld citizens, however, have recently become tourists in their own neighbourhood: ever since the construction works for the European XFEL started on 8 January, the building site sees a steady flow of visitors stopping by on or from their way to the shops, checking on progress, curious about their new neighbour. While the whole ILC project can learn a lot from this curiosity (namely establishing good contact with neighbours when construction for the collider starts), one specific group is digging deeper: the 'conventional facilities and siting (CF&S)' team is establishing close contacts to experts working on the European XFEL to learn from them and to help when possible. Category: Feature | Tagged: , , ,

A tunnel for (module) dummies

30 October 2008 It feels like the real accelerator tunnel, but it’s only building 71 at DESY in Hamburg. It’s basically a tube made of concrete, 51 metres long and 5.20 metres in diameter. One accelerator module hangs from the top of the tube, water pipes, cable trays and ventilation ducts are installed and other accelerator parts stand around on the tunnel floor. All these are dummies, some even made of wood, but they are life-size dummies in building 71: the European XFEL mock-up tunnel. Category: Feature | Tagged: , ,

Cryo crash test

| 12 June 2008 Particle physicists have the reputation that they need to smash things up in order to find out what they are about. Sometimes accelerator physicists get to smash stuff up, too: a group of engineers and technicians recently crash-tested a full cryomodule. They wanted to find out what the 12-metre piece of kit would look like if somebody happened to use the beam pipe as a stepladder, drive a tunnel vehicle into a flange or decide to rip out a vacuum pump. Category: Around the World | Tagged: , , , ,

A horizontal challenge

| 17 January 2008 The world’s first horizontal multi-beam klystron has started its site acceptance test at DESY. Built by the Japanese company Toshiba, it is the first of three prototypes from different companies to arrive for the test that will determine whether the new klystron design works. The 10-megawatt horizontal klystron was developed for the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) and is also part of the reference design for the ILC. Category: Around the World | Tagged: , , , ,

XFEL coupler industrialisation at LAL

| 23 August 2007 During an XFEL (European X-ray laser facility) project meeting, on 2 July at DESY, the main European contributors discussed in-kind contributions for the project. The meeting attendees agreed that France would play a large role in the production of power couplers for the XFEL. The LAL coupler group, at Orsay, will therefore be responsible for following the coupler production, their commissioning and delivery to DESY. To accomplish these tasks, the lab is now pursuing a big effort focused on coupler industrialisation. “This effort will be an exemplary exercise for ILC couplers production,” said Alessandro Variola, head of the LAL group. Category: Feature | Tagged: , ,

German Research Minister launches XFEL

| 7 June 2007 On Tuesday 5 June, the German Federal Minister of Education and Research Annette Schavan officially launched the European X-ray laser facility XFEL. Using essentially the same uperconducting accelerator technology that is planned for the ILC, the 3.4-kilometre XFEL (for X-ray free-electron laser) will produce high-intensity ultra-short X-ray flashes with the properties of laser light. This will open up a whole range of new perspectives for fundamental research and for industrial users. Category: Around the World | Tagged: ,