Slovakia is one of 11 shareholders in the research centre European XFEL GmbH based in Hamburg, Germany. Via the Education Ministry, the country owns 1.13% of the shares in the company which is currently starting the operation of the strongest laser bean of free electrons in the world. The laser is used for displaying processes and changes in states in material and biological sciences. As the ministry wrote on its website, the uniqueness of the laser lies in the fact that it can display a million times more pictures per second than similar devices. This allows a detailed examination of processes which are not detectable with other machines. With this laser, the research teams will be able to research details of the viruses's body structure, molecular composition of cells, create 3D pictures of the 'nano-world', observe chemical reactions and study many processes such as those which take place in the insides of planets.
The European XFEL research centre is one of the largest European research projects. According to the Slovak Education Ministry, the use of this laser could contribute to breakthrough discoveries in various areas of science, which could then be applied in everyday life. The start of the operation of the laser is planned for May and research teams will have it at their disposal in the second half of this year. Since the Slovak Education Ministry holds stakes in the company, Slovak teams will have chance to use working stations for running experiments at a world class level.
