The MIT X-ray laser project

Recent advances in accelerator, laser, and undulator technology have created the possibility of constructing a national user facility based on an intense free-electron laser at extreme ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. MIT is exploring the construction of such a facility at its Bates Laboratory site, 20 miles north of Cambridge. The science that is foreseen spans many disciplines including atomic and fundamental physics, condensed matter physics and materials sciences, femtochemistry, structural biology, and various fields of engineering. The source we propose, and the experimental methods it will spawn, will generally be qualitatively new and have high impact in many fields of science and technology. The strength of the science and technology base in the northeast region, and in particular at MIT, make this a superb location for such a national user facility.