Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
Encyclopedia
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy is a research centre and part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. The institute carries out research into the structure and dynamics of novel materials and also investigates solar cell technology.
Several large scale facilities are available, the most important of which are the 10 MW BER-II research reactor
at the Lise Meitner
campus in Wannsee
and the 3rd generation BESSY
synchrotron
in Adlershof
. The institute also specialises in research at high magnetic fields and low temperatures and is a world leader in providing sample environment for neutron scattering and physical property measurements.
Both the reactor and synchrotron
operate as user facilities. Due to the high competition for experiments, beam time is awarded after peer review of two page proposals which state the scientific case for each measurement. User groups are expected to run experiments on a 24-hour basis to maximise the use of the facility. Onsite guesthouses exist at both campuses.
Hahn-Meitner-Instituts Berlin and Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung.
The Hahn-Meitner-Instituts Berlin (HMI), named after Otto Hahn
and Lise Meitner
, was founded 14 March 1959 in Berlin-Wannsee to operate the research reactor
BER-I that had gone into operation with 50 kW on 24 July 1958. Research originally focussed on radiochemistry. In 1971, the federal government took over a 90% share in the HMI.
The Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung (BESSY) was founded in 1979. The first synchrotron BESSY I in Berlin-Wilmersdorf went into operation in 1982.
Several large scale facilities are available, the most important of which are the 10 MW BER-II research reactor
Research reactor
Research reactors are nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.-Purpose:...
at the Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner FRS was an Austrian-born, later Swedish, physicist who worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics. Meitner was part of the team that discovered nuclear fission, an achievement for which her colleague Otto Hahn was awarded the Nobel Prize...
campus in Wannsee
Wannsee
Wannsee is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger Großer Wannsee and the Kleiner Wannsee , are located on the river Havel and are separated only by the Wannsee bridge...
and the 3rd generation BESSY
BESSY
The Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung m. b. H. , abbreviated BESSY, is a research establishment in the Adlershof district of Berlin. Founded on 5 March 1979, it currently operates Germany's only 3rd generation synchrotron radiation facility, BESSY II...
synchrotron
Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
in Adlershof
Adlershof
-External links:*...
. The institute also specialises in research at high magnetic fields and low temperatures and is a world leader in providing sample environment for neutron scattering and physical property measurements.
Both the reactor and synchrotron
Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
operate as user facilities. Due to the high competition for experiments, beam time is awarded after peer review of two page proposals which state the scientific case for each measurement. User groups are expected to run experiments on a 24-hour basis to maximise the use of the facility. Onsite guesthouses exist at both campuses.
History
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin was created on 1 January 2009 by fusion ofHahn-Meitner-Instituts Berlin and Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung.
The Hahn-Meitner-Instituts Berlin (HMI), named after Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn FRS was a German chemist and Nobel laureate, a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry". Hahn was a courageous opposer of Jewish persecution by the Nazis and after World War II he became a passionate campaigner...
and Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner FRS was an Austrian-born, later Swedish, physicist who worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics. Meitner was part of the team that discovered nuclear fission, an achievement for which her colleague Otto Hahn was awarded the Nobel Prize...
, was founded 14 March 1959 in Berlin-Wannsee to operate the research reactor
Research reactor
Research reactors are nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.-Purpose:...
BER-I that had gone into operation with 50 kW on 24 July 1958. Research originally focussed on radiochemistry. In 1971, the federal government took over a 90% share in the HMI.
The Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung (BESSY) was founded in 1979. The first synchrotron BESSY I in Berlin-Wilmersdorf went into operation in 1982.