NWO-I

Institutes Organisation of NWO

Clone of HFML-FELIX facilities

HFML-FELIX

HFML-FELIX stands for High Field Magnet Laboratory and Free Electron Lasers for Infrared eXperiments. This NWO institute is a unique research facility where experiments are conducted using some of the world's strongest magnets and free‑electron lasers that produce an unprecedented range of infrared light. It is the only place in the world where these two techniques can be combined.

Orange ring section of the HFML-FELIX facility
Credits Gideon Laureijs

Facilities and Research

The HFML-FELIX magnetic lab has five magnets with field strengths ranging from 30 to 38 tesla. A hybrid magnet capable of up to 45 tesla is also under development. Only a few of these exist in the world. Researchers can use the magnets to subject materials to extreme conditions to study and control their structure and properties in great detail.

The laser lab houses four infrared free‑electron lasers with an unprecedented tuning range and very high intensity. The laser light is generated in‑house using a particle accelerator. When researchers direct these powerful lasers at molecules and materials, the resulting interaction provides highly detailed information about their structure and electronic properties.

These experiments contribute to groundbreaking research in multiple domains, including medicine, materials science, and astrochemistry. Twice a year, scientists can submit proposals for research time using the magnets, the lasers, or both.

Further information on the use of these facilities can be found on the HFML-FELIX website.

A woman in a lab coat is working with a pipette in a laboratory
Researcher Hannah Willenberg in the HFML-FELIX laboratory, credits Gideon Laureijs

Collaboration 

As an NWO institute, HFML-FELIX is part of a large national partnership comprising NWO-I, eight Dutch universities, and Radboudumc. The network continues to expand as additional knowledge partners join, and collaboration with industrial partners is becoming increasingly common. 

More information

Would you like to find out more about the facilities at the HFML-FELIX? You can find more information about the institute, the research and the various facilities available to researchers at the Nijmegen site on the HFML-FELIX website.