The largest X-ray laser on the planet will open today; ready to start shining a billion times brighter than conventional X-ray sources. The giant microscope will be used to study some of Earth’s tiniest structures, including atoms and viruses.
Called the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EXFEL), this mammoth piece of kit has been set up in Schenefeld, near Hamburg, in northern Germany. It lives in a 2.1-mile (3.4km) long tunnel, up to 125 feet (38m) underground, and will produce 27,000 flashes of laser light per second.
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Abigail Beall 