Highlights

PSI scientists perform the worlds first hard X-FEL user experiment at SLAC

In October 2010, the commissioning phase of the X-Ray Pump-Probe experimental station at the Stanford LCLS source was finished. The very first user experiment in the hard x-ray range was carried out by a group of scientists from SLAC, the European XFEL and PSI under the lead of Christian David (PSI) more information

FEL Prize Winners of 2009 and 2010 work together at the SwissFEL Injector

Last years FEL Prize winners Paul Emma and David Dowell, work together with this years FEL prize winner, Sven Reiche at the SwissFEL injector test facility. The FEL Committee awards one prize each year to a person or people whose work has advanced the field of free-electron laser science. Our colleagues from LCLS received the first FEL prize that was given to an operating machine, i.e. LCLS (world's first operating XFEL). Sven Reiche received his prize for more theoretical work on FEL simulation codes. These joint forces of outstanding scientists, with expertise's in different fields, working on the SwissFEL injector, shows once again the high international importance of the SwissFEL project as well as the strong global network SwissFEL is part of.

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”.

The FEL simulation code, GENESIS 1.3 developed by Dr. Sven Reiche, is used as design tool world wide, and the anticipated performances of new projects have been very successfully benchmarked with experimental results in the most advanced FEL facilities. He contributed to all major FEL projects, influencing the machine layouts according to user’s expectances, as well as anticipating possible operational modes that in the near future could enlarge the experimental perspectives of the X-ray FELs. Today at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Dr. Reiche plays an essential role in the SwissFEL project, leading the FEL line design and coordinating the accelerator beam dynamic activities. Remarkable as well are his contributions to the SwissFEL science case and to the implementation of new schemes for the experimental lines. We congratulate Sven for the prestigious award as recognition of his outstanding career.

The SwissFEL Project Management Team

First beam at the 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. The characterization of the beam, improvements on their quality and the implementation of the diagnostic are the short term goals. We express our thanks all to the groups that worked hard for these achievements, as well as for the installation of the whole facility.