“Three, two, one!” The Groundbreaking ceremony of the fourth generation light source, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory X-ray Free Electron Laser (PAL-XFEL) was held at PAL on May 9. The presence of the vice minister I of Ministry of Science, ICT (Information & Communication Technology) & Future Planning, LEE Sang-mok, and the mayor of Pohang, Park, Seung-ho dignified the ceremony. When PAL-XFEL is finished in 2014, Korea will be the third country possessing the fourth generation light source after US and Japan.
By arranging several magnets with different electronic poles along the path the electron beam passes, the fourth generation, PAL-XFEL can produce light 10 billion times brighter than the PLS-II, the third generation light source that can produce one hundred million times brighter than the right of the sun. The synchrotron light from the PAL-XFEL can capture the movement of atoms and molecules that are faster than lightening. In addition, it enables observation of very fast natural phenomena, such as analysis of protein structure necessary in development of new medicine, photosynthesis, semi-conductor and reaction research in various environments.
PAL-XFEL will stretch eleven hundreds meters including insertion device beamline and other facilities. It is estimated to cost 426 billion KRW to build. In addition, as the core components for accelerating electron beam will be developed through the joint research with domestic industry, about 130 medium-sized businesses participate in this construction.