One of the European Electron Laser and X-ray Laser tunnels, near Hamburg, Germany-European XFEL / AFP .

Heiner MULLER-ELSNER
The largest X-ray laser in the world, its ability to observe the infinitely small must allow for multidisciplinary scientific breakthroughs by dissecting the operation of atoms, viruses or chemical processes.
The exceptional character of the X-Ray Free Electron Laser European Laser (XFEL) can be summed up in one figure: 27,000 flashes per second. Compared to the 120 emitted by the American laser of the same type LCLS and the 60 generated by the SACLA in Japan.

this ultrafast rate should enable researchers to photograph "viruses at the atomic scale, decipher the molecular composition of cells, take three-dimensional images of the nanoworld, and study processes similar to those that occur at the same time. interior of the planets.