Aerial view of the DESY campus and the PETRA III hall.
The North strengthens nano research - Sweden is now a strong partner of the brilliant X-ray source PETRA III at the DESY research centre. Dr. Leif Eriksson of the Swedish Research Council, and the DESY Directors Prof. Helmut Dosch and Prof. Edgar Weckert signed a memorandum of understanding at DESY in Hamburg on 25 February 2011. The Swedish Research Council participates at the so-called „Swedish Materials Science Beamline“, a very sophisticated experimental facility using the brilliant beam of the X-ray source PETRA III for materials and nano science experiments.
Whereas DESY contributes its expertise in the construction of the facility, representatives of the scientific communities of both countries share the responsibility for the contents of the experiments. With the realisation of this beamline, both partners also expect the strenghtening of synchrotron radiation utilisation by industry at DESY.
This successful cooperation with Sweden is embedded in the world’s unique association of neutron and synchrotron radiation research infrastructures. In the so-called “Röntgen- Ångström Cluster”, the regions of Northern Germany and Sweden will closely collaborate in materials science and structural biology. Moreover, on occasion of the successful Röntgen- Ångström Cluster start, Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s State Secretary Dr. Georg Schütte met his Swedish ministerial colleague Peter Honeth at DESY.
The Röntgen- Ångström Cluster includes several research centres: the research centre DESY in Hamburg with PETRA III and FLASH, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) with BESSY II and BER II, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG). These institutes, together with the synchrotron radiation source MAX IV, currently under construction in Lund, offer researchers of the region outstanding research possibilities in the field of materials science and structural biology. With the X-ray laser European XFEL, currently under construction in the metropolitan area of Hamburg with DESY’s strong participation,and the planned European Spallation Neutron Source in Lund, the range of facilities will be completed by additional world-leading photon and neutron sources.
(from DESY Press release)
