topic Research

International Institutions in the Field of Basic Physics Research

The international research centres make unique, modern, large-scale research equipment available to science, thus enabling research on the highest possible level. Centres working in the field of basic physics research include:

European Organization for Nuclear Research - European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN)

CERN, with its headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland), is the world's largest research facility for basic physics research in the field of fundamental particles and the interplay of matter (elementary-particle physics). Experiments to study the basic constituents of matter and the forces holding them together are conducted with the aid of large particle accelerators and detectors. Apart from outstanding successes in the field of physics, for which CERN scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1984 and 1992, CERN also boasts a large number of technological innovations. In addition, CERN was the cradle of the World Wide Web. http://public.web.cern.ch/public/ 

European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO)

The ESO headquarters is situated in Garching near Munich, Germany. The Organisation's tasks include construction, instrumentation, and operation of astronomical observatories, such as the world's currently largest  optical telescope - the "Very Large Telescope" (VLT) - on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert in Chile. ESO also is the European partner in the "Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array" (ALMA) project. Construction of this array of 12-m radio antennas started in 2003 on the Chajnantor plain in Chile. The project is a cooperation between Europe, Japan, North America, and Chile.  http://www.eso.org

Institute Max von Laue - Paul Langevin (ILL)

The ILL is located in Grenoble (France). It is the world's most powerful stationary neutron source and is operated by Germany, France and Great Britain. Over a dozen countries participate in its scientific use  Research conducted at ILL is related to the structure and dynamics of solid and liquid-state matter in physics, biology, chemistry and medicine as well as in the materials science. http://www.ill.eu/

Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)

The ESRF in Grenoble (France) is one of the strongest sources of synchrotron radiation in Europe. Here, research on condensed matter in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, meteorology, materials science, geophysics and archaeology is pursued. The ESRF is co-financed by 12 member states. By cooperating with the ILL and EMBL (http://www.embl.org), the facility is significantly expanding its research in the life sciences within the framework of the Partnership for Structural Biology (PSB). http://www.esrf.eu

The following international projects are under construction:

European XFEL - the European X-Ray Laser Project

The European XFEL X-ray laser will open up new applications for research. Its very high-energy, short-wave X-ray light will provide previously unknown insights. The facility will make it possible to film molecules during chemical reactions or to depict molecules which in the past were too small for imaging techniques or which could not be fixed. In the field of physics, it will enable the study of the material state of a gas plasma. http://www.xfel.eu/

The new FAIR international research centre

A new particle accelerator facility is being built at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt. It will enable experiments that are unique worldwide. Physicists hope that the FAIR international research centre (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) will provide a new insight into the structure of matter and the evolution of the universe. http://www.fair-center.de