UK begins exploration of whether to build its own billion-pound-plus XFEL

The UK is considering building a large x-ray free electron laser (XFEL) facility on its own that would likely cost over a billion pounds. Scientists met on 30 January at the Royal Society in London to discuss what they want from such a facility, which would start operation in the 2030s if it got the green light from the government .

The meeting launched the £3.2 million UKXFEL Conceptual Design and Options Analysis project, which was announced in June 2022 and runs from October 2022 to September 2025. It aims to look at how to attain next-level XFEL capabilities. That includes new ways of generating x-rays, producing high pulse rates and multicolour x-ray beams that could enable cheaper experiments.

Mark Thomson, executive chair of the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council funding agency, decided to drive ahead XFEL discussions when appointed in 2018. This comes after a previous UK XFEL plan, known as the New Light Source project, foundered in 2010 due to the risks associated with it. Thomson tells Chemistry World exclusively that he believes that new XFEL technology will enable new science. ‘I don’t think we’ve yet explored the depth of free electron lasers,’ Thomson observes. ‘I think that’s why this is really exciting.’