SLAC Press Release
November 1, 2002 |
Contact: Neil Calder |
Washington D.C -- The
Deutsches-Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Germany’s leading particle physics and
synchrotron radiation laboratory, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Stanford
Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), have signed a laboratory-to-laboratory
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a unique international
collaboration for the development of X-ray free-electron lasers. These
facilities will be a giant leap forward in synchrotron radiation research,
generating X-ray pulses ten billion times brighter and a thousandfold shorter in
duration than existing sources. These ultra-brilliant beams will explore
previously inaccessible realms of dynamics in the chemical, biological and
materials sciences as well as in nanoscale phenomenology, and atomic and plasma
physics.
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At the MoU signing ceremony. Front row, left to right: Albrecht Wagner, Chairman of the DESY board of Directors; Jonathan Dorfan, SLAC Director; Jochen Schneider, DESY Research Director. Back row, left to right: Jerry Hastings, Project Manager of the SPPS Experiment; John Galayda, Director of LCLS project; Keith Hodgson, Director of SSRL. |
“These machines can be used to observe atoms in the process of forming or
breaking bonds in molecules – in effect, freeze-frame photography of molecular
formation.” said John Galayda, head of the SLAC X-ray free-electron laser
project.
Dr. Raymond Orbach, Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science,
welcomed representatives from the two laboratories. Dr. Hermann Schunk,
Director-General of Basic Research, Transport and Aerospace Research commented
on the importance of the collaboration for Germany’s Federal Ministry of
Education and Science. Professor Albrecht Wagner, Chairman of the DESY Board of
Directors, Professor Dr. Jochen R. Schneider, DESY Research Director and TESLA-XFEL
Project Leader and Professor Jonathan Dorfan, Director of SLAC signed the MoU.
DESY and SLAC are world-leading laboratories in the development and operation of
electron accelerators for research in high-energy physics and in the many fields
of science that make use of synchrotron radiation. Both institutions are
committed to explore the extraordinary scientific capabilities that X-ray
free-electron lasers will offer and are advanced in the planning for two
facilities - the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC and the TESLA X-ray
Free Electron Laser (TESLA-XFEL) at DESY. The LCLS project engineering and
design has been authorized and the facility is scheduled to become operational
in 2008. The TESLA-XFEL is expected to be operational in 2011.
The agreement sets the framework for practical collaboration between DESY and
SLAC on the many technical challenges to be faced in fully exploiting the
capabilities of X-ray free-electron lasers. This collaboration will be based on
exchange of personnel and equipment and open interchange of research results,
know-how and data.
“I am delighted by this collaboration,” said Albrecht Wagner. “Both projects
will be enriched and accelerated by the first class personnel and accumulated
expertise at both laboratories.”
Both DESY and SLAC are already working on short wavelength linac-driven light
sources that provide a preview of the extraordinary capabilities of LCLS and
TESLA-XFEL. The TESLA Test Facility (TTF) at DESY is the shortest-wavelength
free-electron laser in the world and the Sub-Picosecond Pulse Source (SPPS)
being developed at SLAC will match its performance. The TTF and SPPS offer a
combination of peak brightness and short pulse duration far beyond any other
sources in the world today. The agreement between DESY and SLAC gives a green
light for immediate collaboration on research at TTF and SPPS. This initial work
will provide valuable preliminary information and solutions to the technical
challenges of the future LCLS and TESLA-XFEL.
“We are all excited by the colossal discovery potential of X-ray free-electron
lasers.” said Jonathan Dorfan. ”International collaboration is the most
efficient, responsible and cost effective way of building world-class science
facilities. There is already dynamic collaboration between SLAC, DESY and the
KEK laboratory in Japan on research and development for a future high-energy
physics linear collider. Today’s agreement establishes stronger bonds between
international centers of excellence.”
Posted: 07 Nov 2002 by BELLEVIN