A Closer Look at the XFEL’s Design and Functioning
The European XFEL's main feature is a superconducting linear accelerator that spans 1.7 kilometers, making it the largest of its kind in the world. This accelerator is designed to generate X-ray flashes that are a billion times brighter than the best conventional radiation sources. These flashes are produced in underground tunnels and will enable scientists to map the atomic details of viruses, record chemical reactions, and study the processes occurring inside planets.
The potential applications of this technology are vast, allowing scientists to delve into the inner workings of chemical reactions, viruses, and atoms. The XFEL generates extremely intense laser flashes through Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE). These laser flashes are produced at a rate of 27,000 per second. High-intensity electromagnetic radiations are created by accelerating electrons to relativistic speeds and directing them through special magnetic structures.
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The XFEL operates by accelerating groups of electrons to nearly the speed of light, then steering them through a slalom course controlled by a system of magnets, known as undulators.
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As the electrons bend and turn, they emit flashes of X-rays. As the particles interact with this radiation, they bunch even tighter.
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This tight configuration not only intensifies their light emission but also gives it coherence. In essence, the X-rays are “in sync” and have the properties of laser light.
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The beam will penetrate and detail at the atomic scale anything placed in its path.
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This could include the catalyst materials used in industrial chemical production or the protein molecules that drive our bodies. It allows for time-resolved investigations that are beyond what is possible in standard synchrotrons.
Instruments of the European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser
The XFEL facility conducts six different experiments, all of which utilize X-rays. Scientists from around the world participate in these experiments.
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Femtosecond X-ray Experiments (FXE)
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Single Particles, Clusters, and Biomolecules & Serial Femtosecond Crystallography (SPB/SFX)
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Spectroscopy and Coherent Scattering (SCS)
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Small Quantum Systems (SQS)
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High energy density matter (HED)
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Materials Imaging and Dynamics (MID)
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