discovered 02_2012

discovered 02.12 COLLABORATIONS WWW.Hzdr.DE now in place, the upgrade comprises longer beamlines in the new experimental hall to be operated with vastly improved optics, detectors and data-analysis tools. Nanoscience and nanotechnology is one of the five core areas of applied and fundamental research addressed by the upgrade. The others are: pump-probe experiments and time-resolved diffraction (with time resolutions sufficient to “film” the movements of single atoms or even electrons); science under extreme conditions (providing the capacity to study minute quantities of matter under very high pressures, temperatures and magnetic fields); molecular biology and soft matter (elucidating, for instance, the basic mechanism of molecular machines and cellular reproduction), and X-ray imaging (with applications ranging from medicine to archaeology). Every ESRF beamline will undergo at least some kind of upgrade, but despite the heavy works and installation of new equipment, the performance of the ESRF has not dropped significantly for its users, and its scientific output is higher than ever – producing more than 1,800 peer-reviewed publications in 2011 alone although several beamlines were temporarily shut down for reconstruction activities. The ESRF upgrade program is implemented in two phases and with Phase I halfway through, it is now time to prepare for Phase II. A major task in 2012 is to consult with users about their scientific and technical needs, and to prepare a proposal to the ESRF Council before its spring meeting in 2013. The ESRF Council has also asked for a report from an independent group of experts addressing inter alia how the ESRF machine could keep its position as world leader and whether a major accelerator upgrade could be envisaged. Great progress has been made recently worldwide with ideas and plans for an “ultimate storage ring” to push the brilliance of X-ray beams by another factor of 50 to 100. In 2017, the accelerators at the ESRF will have been producing beams of X-rays for a quarter of a century. The decision about whether this is the right time to start building a successor will be on next year’s agenda. INAUGURATION: Francesco Sette, ESRF Director General, Roland Sauerbrey, Scientific Director of the HZDR, Jean Moulin, Chairman of the ESRF Council, and Thomas Roth, Head of Division of the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), at the inaugural celebration for the remodeled Rossendorf Beamline BM20. Image credit: ESRF/C. Argoud. HALF-TIME: Aerial view of the new experimental hall at the ESRF. The new hall will be able to accommodate setup of experimental stations 120 meters in length, which is necessary for X-rays of 10 nanometers diameter on the sample. Image credit: ESRF/C. Argoud Contact _Head of Communication Group European Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF Claus Habfast claus.habfast@esrf.fr www.esrf.fr

discovered 02_2012

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