World's largest X-ray laser generates first light

The world’s largest X-ray laser has generated its first X-ray laser light, an achievement that represents the last major milestone before its official opening in September.

Based in Germany, the European XFEL is a 3.4km long facility, most of which is located in underground tunnels. Once operational, it will be the largest and most powerful of the five X-ray lasers worldwide, with the ability to generate the short pulses of hard X-ray light. The X-ray light has a wavelength of 0.8nm - about 500 times shorter than that of visible light. At first lasing, the laser had a repetition rate of one pulse per second, which will later increase to 27 000 per second.

Helmut Dosch, chairman of the DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) Directorate, said: "The European XFEL will provide us with the most detailed images of the molecular structure of new materials and drugs and novel live recordings of biochemical reactions."