HZB builds undulator for SESAME in Jordan
The APPLE II UE56 double undulator generates brilliant light with variable polarization. © HZB
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is building an APPLE II undulator for the SESAME synchrotron light source in Jordan. The undulator will be used at the Helmholtz SESAME beamline (HESEB) that will be set up there by five Helmholtz Centres. The Helmholtz Association is investing 3.5 million euros in this project coordinated by DESY.
SESAME stands for "Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East" and provides brilliant X-ray light for research purposes. The third-generation synchrotron radiation source became operational in 2017. Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, and Cyprus are cooperating on this unique project to provide scientists from the Middle East with access to one of the most versatile tools for research.
New beamline for soft x-rays
Thus far, SESAME has four beamlines and will now receive a fifth meant to generate "soft" X-ray light in the energy range between 70 eV and 1800 eV. This X-ray light is particularly suitable for investigating surfaces and interfaces of various materials, for observing certain chemical and electronic processes, and for non-destructive analysis of cultural artefacts. The new beamline will be constructed as the Helmholtz SESAME Beamline (HESEB) by the Helmholtz Centres DESY (coordinating Centre), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
Undulator made by HZB
The team headed Dr. Johannes Bahrdt at the HZB has assumed the task of constructing and commissioning an undulator for the new beamline. Undulators consist of two opposing arrays of magnets that force the ultrafast electron bunches into wave-like motion. At each reversal point of the wave, the electron bunches emit light that superposes itself on the previously emitted light to produce a coherent, laser-like beam – synchrotron light.
APPLE II UE56 provides polarized light
Johannes Bahrdt has already developed several types of undulators, including the APPLE II UE56 undulator that has been used very successfully at BESSY II for almost 20 years. The APPLE II UE56 double undulator generates brilliant light with variable polarization. This can be used, for example, to study magnetic nanostructures. For SESAME, a UE56 module will now be completely rebuilt, equipped with new magnets and brought up to the state of the art. The undulator team will train their SESAME colleagues and later support them via remote maintenance.
SESAME and HZB
SESAME has a long history with the HZB: at the heart of SESAME are also some accelerator components from BESSY I that were dismantled in 1998. The Helmholtz Association is supporting the Helmholtz SESAME Beamline project (HESEB) with a total of 3.5 million euros. The project will start at the beginning of 2019 and should be completed in four years.
- AI in Chemistry: Study Highlights Strengths and WeaknessesHow well does artificial intelligence perform compared to human experts? A research team at HIPOLE Jena set out to answer this question in the field of chemistry. Using a newly developed evaluation method called “ChemBench,” the researchers compared the performance of modern language models such as GPT-4 with that of experienced chemists.
- TH Wildau and Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin signed comprehensive cooperationOn 21 May 2025, the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau (TH Wildau) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement. The aim is to further promote networking and cooperation, particularly in basic research, to increase the scientific excellence of both partners and to develop competence networks in research, teaching and the training of young scientists.
- Green hydrogen: MXene boosts the effectiveness of catalystsMXenes are adept at hosting catalytically active particles. This property can be exploited to create more potent catalyst materials that significantly accelerate and enhance the oxygen evolution reaction, which is one of the bottlenecks in the production of green hydrogen via electrolysis using solar or wind power. A detailed study by an international team led by HZB chemist Michelle Browne shows the potential of these new materials for future large-scale applications. The study is published in Advanced Functional Materials.