04.05.2020 - #Corona: HZB resumes operation step by step
A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading worldwide and can cause severe respiratory symptoms (COVID-19). © CDC/Wikimedia commons
After a careful assessment of the situation, the management decided that operations at HZB would be resumed step by step from 4 May onwards. Strict security regulations apply. BESSY II will be available again for in-house research from 11 May. For Sars-CoV-2-relevant measurements a fast access to BESSY II has been established.
We will continuously update the information on this page. We follow the current recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Senate Chancellery and ask all parties involved for their understanding.
Gradual resumption of operations at HZB
The HZB gradually resumes operations - under permanent observation of the situation and strict security regulations.
The BESSY II accelerator will be put back into operation, but will initially only be available to HZB researchers. In the next few weeks, the laboratories will again be able to operate in a restricted manner, in accordance with safety regulations. Please contact the laboratory managers for further details.
User operation at BESSY II will be suspended until 31 May 2020. Exception: Sars-CoV-2 relevant measurements on the MX-Beamlines can be performed. For research groups we have established a fast-track access.
The patient operation in the proton therapy takes place according to plan. Should changes become necessary due to developments, all those affected will be informed.
Furthermore these measures apply:
Immediate cancellation of all events and visitor groups until 20.07.2020 in accordance with the notification of the Senate Chancellery, e.g.:
- The Long Night of Science on 6 June 2020
- Physics for breakfast on 8 July 2020 is cancelled.
- Groups of visitors cannot visit our facilities.
- School lab groups are cancelled.
- Workshops and scientific events are cancelled.
- all trainings offered by HZB company sports are cancelled.
Access for external companies: In order to ensure effective containment of the corona virus, employees of external companies may only enter HZB if they have had no contact with an infected person within the last three weeks (neither privately nor professionally). This must be confirmed in a written form (see download box). Further information can be obtained from your respective contact person at HZB.
HZB staff will get fresh information via the intranet.
- The future of corals – what X-rays can tell usThis summer, it was all over the media. Driven by the climate crisis, the oceans have now also passed a critical point, the absorption of CO2 is making the oceans increasingly acidic. The shells of certain sea snails are already showing the first signs of damage. But also the skeleton structures of coral reefs are deteriorating in more acidic conditions. This is especially concerning given that corals are already suffering from marine heatwaves and pollution, which are leading to bleaching and finally to the death of entire reefs worldwide. But how exactly does ocean acidification affect reef structures?
Prof. Dr. Tali Mass, a marine biologist from the University of Haifa, Israel, is an expert on stony corals. Together with Prof. Dr. Paul Zaslansky, X-ray imaging expert from Charité Berlin, she investigated at BESSY II the skeleton formation in baby corals, raised under different pH conditions. Antonia Rötger spoke online with the two experts about the results of their recent study and the future of coral reefs.
- Energy of charge carrier pairs in cuprate compoundsHigh-temperature superconductivity is still not fully understood. Now, an international research team at BESSY II has measured the energy of charge carrier pairs in undoped La₂CuO₄. Their findings revealed that the interaction energies within the potentially superconducting copper oxide layers are significantly lower than those in the insulating lanthanum oxide layers. These results contribute to a better understanding of high-temperature superconductivity and could also be relevant for research into other functional materials.
- Electrocatalysis with dual functionality – an overviewHybrid electrocatalysts can produce green hydrogen, for example, and valuable organic compounds simultaneously. This promises economically viable applications. However, the complex catalytic reactions involved in producing organic compounds are not yet fully understood. Modern X-ray methods at synchrotron sources such as BESSY II, enable catalyst materials and the reactions occurring on their surfaces to be analysed in real time, in situ and under real operating conditions. This provides insights that can be used for targeted optimisation. A team has now published an overview of the current state of knowledge in Nature Reviews Chemistry.