Excursion 1
ET Pathfinder – Maastricht (NL)
ET Pathfinder is an R&D infrastructure in Maastricht designed and built for testing and prototyping innovative concepts and enabling technologies for the Einstein Telescope, the first third-generation (3G) laser-interferometric gravitational-wave (GW) observatory.
ET Pathfinder will provide a unique facility to prototype several aspects of the design and technology —such as precision technology, coatings, optics, special measurement and control technology, and seismic isolation— required for the Einstein Telescope, and to test them in an ET-like environment. The ET Pathfinder collaboration is formed by more than 20 knowledge and research institutions from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain.
Excursion 2
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT – Aachen (DE)
With over 480 employees, more than 19,500 m² net floor space and over 40 spin-offs, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is one of the world’s most important contract research and development institutes in laser development and laser applications. Core competencies include the development of new laser beam sources and components, laser measurement and testing technology, and laser manufacturing technology, including cutting, ablation, drilling, welding and soldering, as well as surface finishing, micromanufacturing and additive manufacturing.
Application areas for laser beam sources and processes include production and metrology, energy and mobility, medical and environmental technology, and quantum technology. Together with excellent partners from German and international research and industry, ILT develops, for example, satellite-based measurement systems for climate research and frequency converters for a fibre-based quantum internet. Across its projects, Fraunhofer ILT addresses digitalisation in photonics and production technology, process monitoring and control, simulation and modelling, AI in laser technology and the entire field of systems engineering. Given this broad expertise in laser technology, involvement in regional developments towards the Einstein Telescope at ET Pathfinder came naturally.
Excursion 3
Centre Spatial de Liège – Liège (BE)
CSL operates a highly specialised environmental test centre to expose instruments, systems and satellites to the extreme conditions encountered in deep space, with unique capabilities in optics and thermal regulation, including cryogenics.
CSL benefits from a significant competitive advantage derived from its expertise in developing a broad portfolio, accelerating scale-up and technology transfer, and delivering industrial custom projects. CSL works in partnership with major space agencies, prominent research centres and leading space-industry manufacturers, and has contributed to numerous renowned space missions such as SOHO, XMM, CoRoT, Herschel, Planck, Juno, ExoMars NOMAD, CHEOPS, MSI, GMES/Copernicus, Solar Orbiter and Euclid.
Excursion 4
Forschungszentrum Jülich – Jülich (DE)
The mission of Forschungszentrum Jülich is to shape change. More than 7,000 people work hand in hand at Jülich, including 672 visiting scientists from 62 countries. As one of Europe’s largest interdisciplinary research institutions and a member of the Helmholtz Association, it contributes to solving major societal challenges. Jülich provides state-of-the-art tools for its researchers: simulation with supercomputers, research with neutrons, imaging techniques for medicine and nanotechnology tools. These instruments facilitate breakthroughs to new horizons of knowledge. This infrastructure, valued and used worldwide, characterises Jülich as a home of key technologies. These tools link Big-Science-related fields such as nuclear physics and neutron science to societal challenges, including a sustainable hydrogen economy and bio- and geosciences. At the COSY facility, nuclear physics experiments are conducted with polarised proton and deuteron beams with momenta from 0.3 to about 3.5 GeV/c.
Excursion 5
MYRRHA ADS - A large research infrastructure – Mol (BE)
MYRRHA is a flexible, fast-spectrum research facility conceived as an accelerator-driven system (ADS), able to operate in sub-critical and critical modes. It consists of a 600 MeV proton LINAC accelerator, a spallation neutron source and a nuclear reactor with MOX fuel, cooled by liquid lead-bismuth (Pb-Bi).
MYRRHA offers applications in i) testing and developing the transmutation of spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste, ii) conducting materials R&D for current and future nuclear fusion and fission reactors, iii) advancements in high-power proton accelerators, iv) the development and production of innovative medical radioisotopes, v) the creation of reliable powerful radioactive ion beams for fundamental and applied research, vi) the scientific and technological exploration of HLM for use in LFR and spallation sources.
MYRRHA will be built in three phases: i) Phase 1 will be the creation of MINERVA, which consists of the particle accelerator up to 100 MeV and two experimental facilities; the Proton Target Facility and the Full Power Facility for Fusion, ii) Phase 2, the particle accelerator will be expanded to 600 MeV, iii) Phase 3, the sub-critical nuclear reactor of MYRRHA.
The MYRRHA Phase 1 | MINERVA construction started in 2024 with many of its primary components were order in 2020. The ion source, the low-energy beam transport and the radio-frequency quadrupole are operational. Several other components are under construction; they are scheduled to be completed by 2027, providing a 100 MeV proton beam to 2 experimental facilities by 2030.
Excursion 6a
Smart*Light – Eindhoven (NL)
Based on CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) technology developed at CERN, a compact and X-ray source is being built that can be moved as it fits inside a container. This source will provide a high-intensity and adjustable X-ray wavelength, relying on the inverse Compton scattering effect. It provides an X-ray source that exceeds the specifications of regular X-ray sources and approaches those of dedicated synchrotrons, but with a much smaller footprint.
Smart*Light can ultimately be used in clinical applications for medical diagnostics, in research laboratories for the development of new materials and in museums to study important works of art. A visit to Smart*Light will be combined with DIFFER.
Excursion 6b
DIFFER – Eindhoven (NL)
At DIFFER, research is designed to create a future in which clean energy is available to everyone. Reducing dependence on fossil fuels is a major goal, while global energy demand continues to grow.
DIFFER’s research on the application of fusion in society—through its involvement in F4E and ITER—covers many areas, including the work conducted by the Fusion Facilities and Instrumentation group. This group facilitates experimental studies on fusion-reactor-relevant plasma-wall interaction physics and chemistry. It develops and maintains devices and diagnostics in DIFFER’s fusion-materials laboratories and provides support during experiments. DIFFER is a member of the EURATOM consortium, which comprises 30 fusion research organisations and universities from 26 European member states plus Switzerland and Ukraine. A visit to DIFFER will be combined with Smart*Light.
Excursion 7
HFML-FELIX – Nijmegen (NL)
The High Field Magnet Laboratory (HFML) designs magnets with the highest fields. These magnets and the FELIX infrared/terahertz free-electron lasers enable scientists to:
• study the properties and functionality of molecules and materials;
• achieve fundamental scientific breakthroughs;
• tackle societal challenges in the areas of health, energy and smart materials.
The laboratory boasts a strong in-house research programme and operates as a facility, offering the international scientific community cutting-edge instrumentation.
