1. MSc-Student Activities at the European XFEL
Workshop on Designing Innovation Ecosystems
26-27 September 2016, Espoo Finland
By Markus Kuster

2. European XFEL – A Leading New Research Facility
The European XFEL (X-Ray Free-Electron Laser) is a research facility under construction which will use high intensity coherent X-ray light to help scientists better understand the nature of matter.
Location Schenefeld, Germany Non profit organisation Supported by 11 partner countries User facility 280 staff (+ 230 from DESY) Start of user operation 2017
In comparison all other research EIRO research organization, the European XFEL is not yet in operation but still under construction in the area of Hamburg in the northern part of Germany. The European XFEL is organized as a non-profit corporation supported by 11 partner countries and the European XFEL GmbH is responsible for the construction and operation of the European XFEL research facility.
On the image you can see the European XFEL headquarter building in Schenefeld, which hosts offices, laboratories and the scientific experiments of XFEL. The picture shows the status of summer last year, and this is an outlook to the near future, the way it will look like in 2017.

3. The Facility DESY Campus 3400 m Schenefeld Osdorfer Born
Experiment hall
Laboratories
Offices
Osdorfer Born
Electron beam to photon beamlines
Undulator systems begin
DESY-Bahrenfeld
Electron source
Linear accelerator begins
FEL Parameters
Baseline photon energy
0.4–20 keV
Pulse duration < 100 fs
Pulse energy a few mJ
Semiconducting linac
14 – 17 GeV
DESY
Campus
3400 m

4. European XFEL in Short
Large-scale research infrastructure for X- ray applications
Design, construction, commissioning and operation
Provide conditions for excellent scientific research
Build & maintain state-of-the-art instrumentation
Support user access and operation
Knowhow & Expertise
Technology Transfer
Application domains: Structural and electronic dynamics of atoms, ions, molecules, clusters, condensed matter, plasmas
Science of condensed matter and materials
Ultrafast photochemistry and energy research
Structures of large bio- molecules, complexes and cells
Education
In summary, the European XFEL will be a large scale research infrastructure and part of the network of European research facilities for structural research.
The XFEL is responsible for the construction, commissioning and operation of this facility providing the conditions for excellent scientific research, development and building of state-of-the-art instrumentation.

5. The Science Instruments
SPB Single Particles, Clusters and Biomolecules and Serial Femtosecond Crystallography
Will determine the structure of single particles, such as atomic clusters, viruses and biomolecules
MID Materials Imaging & Dynamics
Will be able to image and analyze nano-sized devices and materials used in engineering
FXE Femtosecond X-Ray Experiments
Will investigate chemical reactions at the atomic scale in short time scales molecular movies
HED High Energy Density Matter
Will look into some of the most extreme states of matter in the universe, such as the conditions at the center of planets
SQS Small Quantum Systems
Will examine the quantum mechanical properties of atoms and molecules.
SCS Soft X-Ray Coherent Scattering/Spectroscopy
Will determine the structure and properties of large, complex molecules and nano-sized structures.
Hard X-Rays
Soft X-Rays
… You will here more about the scientific experiments in the presentation of S. Molotsov.

6. Key Science Goals
Science of condensed matter & materials
Understand the cause of out-standing materials properties, in particular in dynamic behaviour
Develop new & better materials
Ultrafast photochemistry & energy research
‚Look‘ and understand how chemistry works on the atomic level
Develop better chemistry
Structure of large biomolecules, complexes & cells
Determine function of biological systems through solving their 3D spatial structure
Develop new treatments & drugs
The scientific goals cover a broad range of different fields.
One of the main pillars is condensed matter and material science and in this context understanding material properties and the dynamic behavior of matter under various environmental conditions.
The second pillar will shed light onto chemistry on the atomic level. One prominent example in this field is understanding of how photosynthesis works. A question which goes back on the understanding of the chemistry of chlorophyll.
Last but not least, a large fraction of experiments will be devoted on determining of the 3D structure of biological systems viruses, bacteria or proteins
These and other questions will be studied at the 6 scientific instruments of the European XFEL, which are

7. Total staff at start of user operation (2017): 280 + 230 from DESY
Personnel and Key Figures
Total staff at start of user operation (2017): from DESY
+ 5 MSc students
Total construction cost
1220
M€*
In-Kind contributions
~550
Staff European XFEL GmbH
~280
Total staff (incl. DESY staff)
~510
Start of user operation
2017
Science users per year
~1000

8. MSc-Students MSc Student Program
The European XFEL has no coordinated and company wide student program established yet
Students participate in the student program of collaborating university
Volume of students
Presently 5 students (3 Germany, 1 India, 1 Slovakia)
Student Funding
Financial support is provided mainly though in-house funding coming from scientific and technology groups
No centralised and dedicated budget yet
Types of student activities/programs
Data analysis and scientific experiments
Detector development and simulation
Location of the students
At the European XFEL and some time at the collaborating university