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Photon Science 2023
Highlights and Annual Report
The world is facing unprecedented challenges. The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly
evident in devastating extreme weather events. Even as
the aftershocks of the SARS-COV-19 pandemic continue,
we are still exposed to potential new viral and bacterial
pathogens whose effects we do not know. Concurrently,
the global community is shaken by geopolitical upheavals:
Putin's horrifying war in Ukraine and the brutal terrorist
attacks on Israel just to name a few. Now, more than ever,
we must advocate for a sustainable and peaceful future,
so that we do not leave a ruined world for future generations.
What role can a research centre like DESY play in contributing to a livable future in Germany, Europe and globally?
How can DESY contribute to limit climate change and to
preventative measures against future pandemics and other
health issues. And how do we navigate international
collaborations with partners from nations that challenge
democratic values, such as China?
Preliminary answers to these questions can be found in
our draft of the ‘Strategy 2030-Loop‘. Under the guiding
principle ‘The Decoding of Matter‘, DESY remains deeply
rooted in fundamental research. Our commitment as a
national centre in the international CERN collaboration
remains, and we continue to expand astroparticle physics.
A significant move in this direction is the establishment of
a German Center for Astrophysics (DZA) in the Lausitz – a
political decision to which Christian Stegmann, director in
charge of Astroparticle Physics at DESY, has made significant contributions. By 2024, decisions should be made
regarding DESY's position within the DZA.
In recent months, we have vigorously advocated for the
timely realisation of DESY's flagship project, PETRA IV. The
conversion of PETRA III into a state-of-the-art 4th generation X-ray light source is essential to remain competitive
worldwide. In particular, the U. S. and Asia are already
heavily investing in similar research infrastructures. All the
endeavors have received substantial local political backing
from the Hamburg Parliament, which committed to funding
10% of the project's investment costs. This strong support
continues at a national level: During the federal Budget
Committee session on 16 November 2023, a decisive step
was taken with the approval of 40 million Euro in seed
funding for the project - highlighting the pivotal relevance
of PETRA IV for future science.
Over the past months we have seen remarkable support
from the high-tech and deep-tech industries. Our industrial
dialogue partners recognise that they stand at the brink of
profound transformation: Climate change solutions
demand a shift towards sustainable materials and processes, while precision data emerges as the new currency
in international competition. Those with the best databases will lead in AI-driven developments, be it in custom
materials or pharmaceuticals. The current 4th generation
synchrotron radiation facilities are globally recognised as
vital for generating this invaluable pool of data.
The coming decade will be pivotal for our research centre.
For DESY, it is crucial to ensure the swift implementation of
PETRA IV and to further advance photon science, uphold
DESY's leadership in plasma-based particle acceleration
developments, expand new methods astroparticle physics
and make a significant national contribution to the HighLuminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) at CERN. Concurrently, we must ambitiously drive our vision of creating
a dynamic research-innovation ecosystem with DESY in the
core of the Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld, incorporating
innovative digital, and sustainable structures and processes.
Realising this master plan is in itself a monumental challenge. The current financial situation, with volatile energy
and gas prices among other effects is leading to a rising
inflation, poses significant difficulties for DESY's management. We face a new reality at DESY: Crafting a globally
competitive research programme with diminishing
resources, achievable only with stringent prioritisation.
The dramatic rise in the construction cost index in recent
years has jeopardised several of our planned construction
projects. However, we were able to successfully launch our
visitor centre ‘DESYUM’ in Hamburg as the first major construction initiative. Fortunately, construction is progressing
swiftly, making us hopeful of meeting all set milestones on
time. Up next are the new accelerator centre ‘CAST’ which
will also house the accelerator control room and the DESY
Innovation Factory, a centre for start-ups. Ideally, we
would like to implement these projects before PETRA IV's
intensive construction phase.
DESY is held in high international regard in fundamental
research. It is imperative to emphasise that our success
would not be conceivable without talented researchers and
engineers who consistently pioneer in developing new
technologies. My special thanks therefore go to them and
all DESY staff, our national and international users as well
as partners for their dedicated work. This is also reflected
in the numerous awards they have earned, I would like to
highlight two from DESY team members here:
Franz Kärtner, founder of the deep-tech startup Cycle
GmbH and professor at the Universität Hamburg, was
honored by the UNIPRENEURS initiative in Berlin for his
innovative entrepreneurial spirit. The UNIPRENEURS award
is Germany's most prestigious recognition for outstanding
engagement in scientific entrepreneurship.
The Bjørn H. Wiik Prize was awarded to DESY engineer
Julien Branlard, for implementing the high-frequency control of the European XFEL. Without the system primarily
developed by Branlard, stable operation of the superconducting linear accelerator would have been unattainable.
His exceptional engineering achievements have gained
international attention, further bolstering DESY's global
reputation in accelerator development.
The crucial message: We must persistently strive to cultivate an attractive and innovative environment for the
brightest minds globally or otherwise risk falling behind in
the international competition – and this is not just about
DESY. In challenging times, the ability to provide answers
to difficult questions is needed more than ever, and this is
precisely where the strength of fundamental science lies.
The scientific results in this annual report are some good
examples of what we can achieve when we work together
for a better future!
evident in devastating extreme weather events. Even as
the aftershocks of the SARS-COV-19 pandemic continue,
we are still exposed to potential new viral and bacterial
pathogens whose effects we do not know. Concurrently,
the global community is shaken by geopolitical upheavals:
Putin's horrifying war in Ukraine and the brutal terrorist
attacks on Israel just to name a few. Now, more than ever,
we must advocate for a sustainable and peaceful future,
so that we do not leave a ruined world for future generations.
What role can a research centre like DESY play in contributing to a livable future in Germany, Europe and globally?
How can DESY contribute to limit climate change and to
preventative measures against future pandemics and other
health issues. And how do we navigate international
collaborations with partners from nations that challenge
democratic values, such as China?
Preliminary answers to these questions can be found in
our draft of the ‘Strategy 2030-Loop‘. Under the guiding
principle ‘The Decoding of Matter‘, DESY remains deeply
rooted in fundamental research. Our commitment as a
national centre in the international CERN collaboration
remains, and we continue to expand astroparticle physics.
A significant move in this direction is the establishment of
a German Center for Astrophysics (DZA) in the Lausitz – a
political decision to which Christian Stegmann, director in
charge of Astroparticle Physics at DESY, has made significant contributions. By 2024, decisions should be made
regarding DESY's position within the DZA.
In recent months, we have vigorously advocated for the
timely realisation of DESY's flagship project, PETRA IV. The
conversion of PETRA III into a state-of-the-art 4th generation X-ray light source is essential to remain competitive
worldwide. In particular, the U. S. and Asia are already
heavily investing in similar research infrastructures. All the
endeavors have received substantial local political backing
from the Hamburg Parliament, which committed to funding
10% of the project's investment costs. This strong support
continues at a national level: During the federal Budget
Committee session on 16 November 2023, a decisive step
was taken with the approval of 40 million Euro in seed
funding for the project - highlighting the pivotal relevance
of PETRA IV for future science.
Over the past months we have seen remarkable support
from the high-tech and deep-tech industries. Our industrial
dialogue partners recognise that they stand at the brink of
profound transformation: Climate change solutions
demand a shift towards sustainable materials and processes, while precision data emerges as the new currency
in international competition. Those with the best databases will lead in AI-driven developments, be it in custom
materials or pharmaceuticals. The current 4th generation
synchrotron radiation facilities are globally recognised as
vital for generating this invaluable pool of data.
The coming decade will be pivotal for our research centre.
For DESY, it is crucial to ensure the swift implementation of
PETRA IV and to further advance photon science, uphold
DESY's leadership in plasma-based particle acceleration
developments, expand new methods astroparticle physics
and make a significant national contribution to the HighLuminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) at CERN. Concurrently, we must ambitiously drive our vision of creating
a dynamic research-innovation ecosystem with DESY in the
core of the Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld, incorporating
innovative digital, and sustainable structures and processes.
Realising this master plan is in itself a monumental challenge. The current financial situation, with volatile energy
and gas prices among other effects is leading to a rising
inflation, poses significant difficulties for DESY's management. We face a new reality at DESY: Crafting a globally
competitive research programme with diminishing
resources, achievable only with stringent prioritisation.
The dramatic rise in the construction cost index in recent
years has jeopardised several of our planned construction
projects. However, we were able to successfully launch our
visitor centre ‘DESYUM’ in Hamburg as the first major construction initiative. Fortunately, construction is progressing
swiftly, making us hopeful of meeting all set milestones on
time. Up next are the new accelerator centre ‘CAST’ which
will also house the accelerator control room and the DESY
Innovation Factory, a centre for start-ups. Ideally, we
would like to implement these projects before PETRA IV's
intensive construction phase.
DESY is held in high international regard in fundamental
research. It is imperative to emphasise that our success
would not be conceivable without talented researchers and
engineers who consistently pioneer in developing new
technologies. My special thanks therefore go to them and
all DESY staff, our national and international users as well
as partners for their dedicated work. This is also reflected
in the numerous awards they have earned, I would like to
highlight two from DESY team members here:
Franz Kärtner, founder of the deep-tech startup Cycle
GmbH and professor at the Universität Hamburg, was
honored by the UNIPRENEURS initiative in Berlin for his
innovative entrepreneurial spirit. The UNIPRENEURS award
is Germany's most prestigious recognition for outstanding
engagement in scientific entrepreneurship.
The Bjørn H. Wiik Prize was awarded to DESY engineer
Julien Branlard, for implementing the high-frequency control of the European XFEL. Without the system primarily
developed by Branlard, stable operation of the superconducting linear accelerator would have been unattainable.
His exceptional engineering achievements have gained
international attention, further bolstering DESY's global
reputation in accelerator development.
The crucial message: We must persistently strive to cultivate an attractive and innovative environment for the
brightest minds globally or otherwise risk falling behind in
the international competition – and this is not just about
DESY. In challenging times, the ability to provide answers
to difficult questions is needed more than ever, and this is
precisely where the strength of fundamental science lies.
The scientific results in this annual report are some good
examples of what we can achieve when we work together
for a better future!