Development of Free Electron Lasers in Europe Local and Global Implications : 2016

Free electron laser FELs are built in Europe mainly as nondependent infrastructures, or as a development of synchrotron ones. They are constructed mainly in centres which have considerable experience with synchrotron light sources of the third generation like DESY, Trieste, INFN, etc. Advances in very energetically efficient superconducting linear accelerators for electron beams, like TESLA type, caused an abrupt development of FEL machines all over Europe. New generation of FELs emits light beam of extreme intensity, good parameters, in IR, VIS, UV, EUV and X-ray spectral regions. The machine construction teams comprise also of young active researchers from Poland. In particular, these is a considerable participation of M.Sc. and Ph.D. students from Warsaw University of Technology at building of FLASH I, FLASH II, and EXFEL machines. Unique experiences gathered at work with these large experiments result in development of these young teams, and their further engagement in new initiatives: laser, laser - accelerator, inertial, plasma, plasma - energy, etc. This is what we observe with satisfaction. However, due to the lack of large research infrastructures in Poland, we are not members of the infrastructure owner clubs. Our young researchers may take part in the initiatives only indirectly as members of cooperative teams from the leading countries. As a further consequence, there is also a confined access of Polish laser and accelerator researchers to some kinds of European infrastructure development projects now under realization within the H2020.