SwissFEL
The New Highlight in Switzerland's Research Infrastructures
Welcome to the Website of the SwissFEL, Switzerland's X-ray free-electron laser currently being built at the Paul Scherrer Institute.
The SwissFEL is based on a novel technology holding exceptional promises for diverse areas of scientific research. Serving our society's modern trends "smaller, faster, more complex", SwissFEL will provide unprecedented insights into structures as small as an atom and into phenomena as fast as the vibrations of molecular bonds. It will also reveal the secrets behind the inner complexity of technologically relevant materials
Current News
Federated Identity Management for Research Infrastructures FIM4R at PSI
On the 20th to the 21st of March 2013 the Federated Identity for Research Infrastructures FIM4R took place. This workshop in the fifth in a series, that started in summer 2011, to investigate Federated Identity Management for Research collaborations. For more information read here….gif)
CRISP 2nd annual Meeting at PSI
On the 18th to the 20th of March 2013 the CRISP annual meeting was held at PSI. The meeting was a great success. The talks given by experts from different facilities gave an inspiring view of progress made within the different collaboration topics of the CRISP project read more... More than 100 participants from the different CRISP partner facilities participated at the meeting. We are grateful for the excellent contributions which were made.
SwissFEL project approved by Swiss Parliament.
An important political milestone for the realization of the new SwissFEL facility was reached in December 2012, the Swiss Parliament approved the SwissFEL project. The legally valid building permit for SwissFEL arrived at the end of January 2013. Which means that the project can start! First works on the building site already initiated.
Establishment of European Free-Electron Laser Collaboration.
On the 31.05.2012 ten European research centres, including PSI agreed on a long-term close collaboration in the field of free-electron lasers and accelerator-based short-pulse sources. With combined efforts, the technologies and methods will be further developed and implemented for operation and use of these novel research facilities, thus creating a unique top level research infrastructure for science in Europe, offering optimal experimental conditions for a wide range of applications. Today, in the margins of the ERF workshop “Socio-economic Relevance of Research Infrastructures”, this collaboration agreement was signed at DESY by representatives of all institutes. Read more
Swiss-Swedish Partnership in Accelerator, Photon and Neutron Science.
The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have signed an agreement with three leading Swedish research institutions covering technology development for the next generation of free-electron lasers and collaboration in photon and neutron science. The agreement promises a world of new research opportunities in materials, energy, environmental and life sciences. Read more
PSI-SwissFEL signs MoU with STFC on the 29th of November 2011.
With their signature, representatives of the PSI and the STFC, today, formalized the cooperation between the SwissFEL and STFC. The main focus will be on the establishment of a collaborative research effort to enable the exploitation and expansion of the scientific capabilities of the future SwissFEL project at PSI. Read more
PSI-SwissFEL cooperates within the EU research network CRISP of eleven new European research infrastructures.
CRISP is a partnership which builds collaborations and creates long-term synergies between research infrastructures on the ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure) Roadmap in the field of physics, astronomy and analytical facilities to facilitate their implementation and enhance their efficiency and attractiveness. Read more
The PaNdata Open Data Infrastructure project (PaNdataODI) started in October 2011.
PSI-SwissFEL is part of PANdata ODI. PaNdata-ODI will develop, deploy and operate an Open Data Infrastructure across the participating facilities with user and data services which support the tracing of provenance of data, preservation, and scalability through parallel access. It will be instantiated through three virtual laboratories supporting powder diffraction, small angle scattering and tomography
Workshops on hard X-Ray Instrumentation with the SwissFEL
CALL FOR POSTERS WORKSHOP 2The SwissFEL team of the Paul Scherrer Institute invites you to attend two workshops on hard X-ray instrumentation at the SwissFEL X-ray Free Electron Laser facility 12.9.11 and 21.11.11, at the University of Bern. more information here
Nicolas Kurti European Science Prize for a SwissFEL Scientist
The Nicholas Kurti European Science Prize, sponsored by Oxford Instruments, is intended to recognise and promote outstanding achievements of young scientists in the field of physical sciences research and to support their career development. In 2011 this prestigious price was awarded to Prof. Dr. Mathias Kläui, head of the SwissFEL Nanoscale Spindynamics Group more information here
A prestigious FEL award for an outstanding scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute
At the 32nd International Free Electron Laser Conference in Malmö, Sweden, the Prize Committee decided to award the prestigious 2010 FEL prize to Dr. Sven Reiche for “his outstanding contributions to the advancement of the field of Free-Electron Laser science and technology”. more information here
Lights on…. Inauguration of the SwissFEL Injector Test Facility
An important milestone for the realization of the new SwissFEL facility was reached on the 24th of August 2010, when the core of the new SwissFEL facility was set into operation at the Paul Scherrer Institute. Guest of Honour, Bundesrat Didier Burkhalter pressed the red button, and the SwissFEL Injector Test Facility produced its first electron beam. For more information see current news from PSI.SwissFEL Injector Conceptual Design Report
The SwissFEL Injector Conceptual Design Report is completed and published in August 2010.SwissFEL Injector CDR
SwissFEL Conceptual Design Report
The SwissFEL Conceptual Design Report is completed and published at the end of July 2010.SwissFEL CDR.
First Beam at SwissFEL Injector Test Facility
The technical development of the project has reached another milestone: In the SwissFEL injector test facility the first electron beam from the gun has been extracted and accelerated to 5 MeV on the 12th of March 2010.SwissFEL Included in Strategic Planning ETH Board
An important decision has been taken towards the realization of SwissFEL at PSI. The ETH Board has discussed PSI's proposal at its board meeting, beginning of March 2010, and has given unanimously its support by including the project in the strategic planning of the ETH Domain.