Brilliant Perspectives - topping-out ceremony for the new light source PETRA III (Nov. 26, 2007)

PETRA III hall

DESY celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the experimental hall of PETRA III – the new source of especially brilliant X-ray light in Hamburg on November 26, 2007. On occasion of the structural completion of the building, German Research Minister Dr. Annette Schavan and Hamburg’s First Mayor Ole von Beust visited the Helmholtz research centre DESY. Its new light source PETRA III is due to be completed in 2009.

“PETRA III is a milestone on the way to a world leading centre for interdisciplinary research with photons in Northern Germany,” said Research Minister Schavan. “In two years already, scientists from all over the world will be able to carry out research here in Hamburg, paving the way for innovations that will make our lives easier.”

The topping out ceremony of the PETRA III experimental hall

One decisive advantage PETRA III has to offer is its hair-thin X-ray beam. Researchers can use it to study even minuscule material samples and precisely determine the arrangement of their atoms. Molecular biologists can explore the atomic structure of tiny protein crystals, in order to find the basis for developing new drugs. Materials researchers need the highly energetic radiation to test welding seams or to check production parts for signs of fatigue. Above all, structural and dynamical analyses of nanoparticles or measurements with a spatial resolution in the 10-nanometre range will benefit from the extremely well focusable X-rays.

For the new light source, DESY is completely rebuilding the existing 2.3-kilometre-long ring accelerator PETRA. The new experimental hall will be almost 300 metres in length, and its shape will conform to the curved contour of the accelerator ring. An area of about 10 000 square metres will contain 14 experimental stations that can accommodate up to 30 experiments.

(...from DESY Press Release)

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