Research with synchrotron radiation and its applications

Synchrotron radiation light gives us a better understanding of the material world. It provides insight into the microscopic structure of materials and the relationship between structure and function. This knowledge is essential for tackling the key challenges of our time. We search for solutions for clean and affordable energy, environment protection, health and well-being, as well as information and data science where tailored materials are at the heart of a sustainable future.

	Energy and environment Energy transformation, reduction of emissions, conservation of resources - the development of new catalytic processes, batteries and new energy storage processes can only succeed with an insight into structure and dynamics with photons. [more]
	Materialis Synchrotron radiation allows exploring the structure and function of new materials at various levels of complexity, thus contributing to a targeted design or knowledge-based improvement of material properties. [more]
	Health With X-ray photons, we can understand biomolecules and active substances at the atomic level, use tomographic methods to decipher the complexity of biological structures, and use X-ray flashes at the European XFEL to follow the mechanisms in a time-resolved manner. Latest example: SARS-CoV-2 research. [more]
	COVID-19 To fight COVID-19, we need vaccines and drugs. For their development, we need to know the virus SARS-CoV-2 precisely. Since the virus itself is smaller than the wavelength of visible light, short-wave synchrotron radiation helps here. Corona research at synchrotrons goes far beyond the study of virus structure and function. [more]
	Information Nanoelectronics, quantum computers, photonics, new types of data storage - only with the insight provided by synchrotron radiation will it be possible to store faster, better and larger quantities. [more]