NMR Seminar excursion to PSI
In the context of this semester's NMR Seminar on the topic of "integrated structural biology" we paid PSI a visit. We had two excellent guided tours to the X-FEL and the SLS.
Our visit included two tours. One to the X-ray free electron laser (X-FEL) and a second to the protein-structure beamline at the synchrotron Swiss light source (SLS).
After a nice introduction, we were able to visit the X-FEL covering its entire length, from the initial accelleration of electrons to the final experiment hutch. Our Guide Florian explained each stage in detail, such that we all won a good understanding of the technology and the thoughts that went into this impressive machine.
During the second part we were again first introduced into synchrotron technology by John, and then visited the beamline PXII, which is dedicated to protein structure determination.
All in all, this was a great visit, with lots of fascinating insights into peak accelerator technology, which is used to unravel the smallest details of biological molecules – and in the case of the X-FEL – with incredible time-resolution.
