Explore ESS

ESS (full name: European Spallation Source ERIC) is a research facility under construction in Lund (Sweden), with its data management and software centre in Copenhagen (Denmark).

When completed, ESS will be the world’s most powerful accelerator-based source of neutrons. Scientists will use these particles to study the properties and behaviour of materials - right down to the level of atoms.

Funded by 13 European countries*, this big-science facility is built with contribution from more than 40 research institutes in Europe, and with knowledge and know-how from many research centres worldwide. ESS attracts people from diverse fields and cultures who share the excitement of building a state-of-the-art facility to enable great science and innovation for a sustainable world.

The construction of the facility is ongoing. Follow the progress of the ESS Road to Science on our social media.

You can also follow our live public operations screen that shows the status of parts of the machine as they become operational.

*Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom

Every year, thousands of researchers from academia and industry will use the ESS facility to learn more about materials, unlocking discoveries and driving innovative solutions to address some of humanity’s biggest challenges in energy, health and the environment.

With the help of neutrons, scientists will be able to understand materials and matter at a deeper level than ever before, investigating deep inside objects, obeserving where the atoms are and how they behave. This can help researchers design new materials for better batteries, greener plastics or stronger engineering structures. Or, it could help life science researchers develop new vaccines or more effective medicines.

Up to 3,000 researchers from around the world will come to ESS each year to carry out experiments on samples of the materials they are studying. Many will also visit MAX IV Laboratory, the neighbouring synchrotron light source, where they can get complementary data about their samples using X-rays.

At ESS, scientists will carry out research in the following areas:

	Life Sciences		Magnetism & Superconductivity		Soft-Condensed Matter		Engineering & Geo-Sciences
	Chemistry of Materials		Energy Research		Fundamental & Particle Physics		Archaeology & Heritage Conversation

Future Science

Curious about the future science at ESS? Read more here.

ESS is an accelerator-based neutron source designed to provide a large number of neutrons with the right energy for the researchers to use.
Neutrons are generated through a process called spallation and then slowed down to the desired energy and guided to the scientific instruments, as shown below.

Neutron instruments use different technologies to investigate various properties of materials.

1. Protons are generated in the ion source 2. Cavities accelerate the protons to 96% of the speed of light 3. The protons strike the target and high-energy neutrons are released 4. The neutrons are slowed down and sent down neutron guides to the instruments 5. When the neutrons arrive at the instruments, researchers use them to examine matter down to the atomic level 6. All the data is sent to the Data Management and Software Centre in Copenhagen to be stored, managed and analysed with the

Download our poster in. Swedish | English | Danish

Resources for teachers

Are you a teacher? Here you can find resources to download and useful links

Downloadable materials

Poster in English, Swedish, Danish
Powerpoint presentation describing ESS (in English)
Classroom activities - coming soon

Activities near Lund and Copenhagen

Here we will inform you of relevant in-person activities in the Lund or Copenhagen areas

Online seminars

Here we will tell you when there are interesting online seminars coming up

Title: “The accelerator BNCT System for Sustainable Quality of Life” by Dr. Kazuyo Igawa

Date: Thursday Oct. 24, 2024

Time: 16:00 CEST (10:00 EDT)

Abstract: Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) differs from conventional cancer radiotherapy in that it causes minimal damage to normal cells, can be given as a single dose, and allows early return to society, and can be given even after radiation therapy such as X-rays, proton beams, and heavy particle beams, including BNCT. In cancer treatment, it is required to provide sufficient information on the prognosis of cancer treatment, treatment effects and side effects, and to determine a treatment plan based on the patient's wishes regarding survival period and quality of life (QOL). Due to the development of accelerator-based neutron source for BNCT, In Japan, BNCT for unresectable locally advanced or locally recurrent head and neck cancer has been covered by insurance since June 2020 at the Southern Tohoku BNCT Research Center (Fukushima Prefecture) and the Kansai BNCT Joint Medical Center (Osaka Prefecture), the first two facilities in the world. Now the four hospitals have installed BNCT systems and the clinical trials or studies trials have been performed for other type of cancers. In the world, more than 30 accelerator based BNCT projects have been initiated in 15 countries, and clinical studies are ongoing in China, and Korea. In this webinar, I will report on the progress of accelerator based clinical BNCT systems for sustainable quality of life in the world.

Speaker: Dr. Kazuyo Igawa, Neutron Therapy Research Center, Okayama University studied dentistry in Tokyo and then clinical maxillofacial surgery and bone regeneration research at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. On returning to Japan, she was involved in clinical research of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for head and neck cancer, and contributed to the establishment of the world's first BNCT hospital in 2014 as Medical Director of BNCT Research Center at Southern Tohoku General Hospital.

This event is open to the public, so don't miss out!

Secure your spot by REGISTERING here and receive the Zoom link

The colloquia series, "Physics for Development," is organized by the Forum on International Physics (FIP) at the American Physical Society (APS).

►► Visit the PHYSICS MATTERS Past colloquia materials at your convenience and read more at " When Physics Matters ! “

Other materials

Accelerate Your Teaching! A new online course for teachers about using the stories of accelerator driven science to bring your lessons to life!
Videos: Why do we build large particle accelerators and what are they for? Hear from four scientists
Science in School: this is an online newsletter, packed with articles to help you to inspire, understand and teach the science behind large European research facilities.
Race to Space: Written with Copenhagen University, this is a classroom roleplay game for 16-19 year olds. Your team is sent to space to search for Lithium! Can you use your on-board neutron scattering tools to help you find it?

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