Thorsten Kamps is Professor of Accelerator Physics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
© HZB/P. Dera
On 24 May 2018, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HUB) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) jointly appointed Thorsten Kamps to the Professorship of “Accelerator physics – Generation and Characterisation of High Brightness Electron Beams”. Kamps heads a workgroup at the Institute for Accelerator Physics of HZB. He and his team develop a key component for new accelerator facilities, namely high brightness electron sources.
Thorsten Kamps’ duties as a professor include providing courses for students at Humboldt-Universität. He feels it is important for students to gain more than just a theoretical understanding of the various aspects of electron sources. “The accelerators at HZB offer many interesting possibilities for students to get themselves actively into the subject by working on case studies,” Professor Kamps says. “I hope many new ideas will culminate from this exchange.”
Thorsten Kamps studied physics at the University of Dortmund and earned his PhD at HU Berlin. As a postdoc, Kamps worked at the Royal Holloway University of London, after which he joined the accelerator team at the synchrotron BESSY II. Since 2012, Kamps has headed the HZB workgroup “High Brightness Electron Sources” which, among other things, is developing an electron source for the project bERLinPro (prototypes of an energy recovery linear accelerator).
“Accelerator physics at HZB has experienced quite a boost in recent years. In Berlin, an international, creative team has come together that is researching and testing unique new accelerator technologies. With the professorship, this trend becomes even more visible,” says Thorsten Kamps.
- Compact electron accelerator for treating PFAS-contaminated waterSo-called forever chemicals or PFAS compounds are a growing environmental problem. An innovative approach to treating PFAS-contaminated water and soil now comes from accelerator physics: high-energy electrons can break down PFAS molecules into harmless components through a process called radiolysis. A recent study published in PLOS One shows that an accelerator developed at HZB, based on a SRF photoinjector, can provide the necessary electron beam.
- Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize and Innovation Award on Synchrotron Radiation 2025At the 27th BESSY@HZB User Meeting, the Friends of HZB honoured the dissertation of Dr Enggar Pramanto Wibowo (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg). The Innovation Award on Synchrotron Radiation 2025 went to Prof. Tim Salditt (Georg-August-University Göttingen) and Professors Danny D. Jonigk and Maximilian Ackermann (both, University Hospital of RWTH Aachen University).
- Synchrotron radiation sources: toolboxes for quantum technologiesSynchrotron radiation sources generate highly brilliant light pulses, ranging from infrared to hard X-rays, which can be used to gain deep insights into complex materials. An international team has now published an overview on synchrotron methods for the further development of quantum materials and technologies in the journal Advanced Functional Materials: Using concrete examples, they show how these unique tools can help to unlock the potential of quantum technologies such as quantum computing, overcome production barriers and pave the way for future breakthroughs.