Welcome to Photonics Instrumentation
The photonics instrumentation group designs, develops and builds state of the art beamline components for the SLS and SwissFEL in collaboration with other expert groups within PSI and with external companies. We closely work together with the photon diagnostics group and the optics group. One of the main responsibilities is the design and improvement of the beamline front-ends at the SLS and SwissFEL as well as the associated safety devices. We offer engineering expertise to other groups in the following areas:
- Beamline development and instrumentation
- Motion control
- Risk analysis
- Vibrations analysis and finite element analysis
Scientific Highlights and News
Scientific Highlights
A compact gas attenuator for the SwissFEL ATHOS beamline realized using additive manufacturing
Gas attenuators are important devices providing accurate variation of photon intensity for soft X-ray beamlines. In the SwissFEL ATHOS beamline front-end the space is very limited and an innovative approach has been taken to provide attenuation of three orders of magnitude up to an energy of 1200 eV. Additive manufacturing of a differential pumping system vacuum manifold allowed a triple pumping stage to be realized in a space of less than half a meter. Measurements have shown that the response of the device is as expected from theoretical calculations.
First light at Furka: The experiments can begin
The path to experiments that are unique in the world is now open.
First light in the SwissFEL Maloja endstation
The first endstation at the SwissFEL Athos soft X-ray branch is rapidly developing and on track for first experiments in 2021.