The European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility (European XFEL) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) will further deepen their collaboration with the foundation of a new CNRS International Research Laboratory (IRL) at European XFEL. The aim is to further promote the use of XFELs in France in a wide range of fields, from condensed matter physics, structural biology and photochemistry to geosciences and astrophysics. CNRS is also a shareholder of European XFEL.
In its first year, the new collaboration will host 5 senior scientists from CNRS or other French institutions at European XFEL. They will work together with European XFEL staff on research and development projects. The IRL will help French scientists to build up a network of experts and specialists in different disciplines, who will be able to assist other French researchers in writing proposals to obtain beamtime as well as in setting up and running experiments, and in processing the data generated.
CNRS International Research Laboratories (IRL) are international collaborations in which research work is jointly conducted around a shared scientific focus. They structure a significant and lasting presence of scientists from a limited number of French and foreign research institutions at specific sites, such as European XFEL in Schenefeld. The IRL will be funded for an initial period of 5 years.
The European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility (European XFEL) is an X-ray research laser facility. The 3.4-kilometre long tunnel for the European XFEL running from the site of the DESY research center in Hamburg to the town of Schenefeld generates extremely intense X-ray flashes used by researchers from all over the world to map atomic details of viruses, film chemical reactions, and study processes in the interior of planets.
Further reading
- European XFEL (12.03.2025): European XFEL and CNRS deepen collaboration
