Dr. Jens Knobloch
The physicist at HZB develops superconducting radio-frequency systems for new light sources and future accelerators
Usually he smiles, the future head of the Institute „SRF-Technology“ at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB).
Almost at the same time when BESSY and the Hahn-Meitner Institut merged in 2008 he got appointed for a W3 professorship in the field of accelerator physics but decided to stay in the recently founded Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie early in July.
It all started in 1987 when he began to study physics. Initially at the Imperial College London and later on at the Cornell University, USA, where he also finished his PhD thesis in 1997.
Pretty soon he found out where his main research interest was focused. From 1997 to 2001 he worked as a Research Associate and later on as a Senior Associate as well as Deputy Group Leader of the „Superconducting RF Group“ at his alma mater before he changed to work for BESSY, the Berlin electron storage ring.
In 2001 he started as a scientific employee and group leader for superconducting radio frequency at the BESSY GmbH. From 2006 to 2008 he was also a member of the extended Management Board.
His subject is acceleration. To be more precise, the development of superconducting radio-frequency systems for new light sources and future accelerators, in short terms “Superconducting Radio-Frequency (SRF) Technology”, that is the official label of the field of research to which the 41-year-old physicist is dedicated. Together with his working group Jens Knoblauch has built up the “Horizontal-Bi-Cavity-Testfacility” (HoBiCaT) in close neighborhood to the electron storage ring BESSY II as shown in the picture.
At the HoBiCaT facility research and development is realized especially to further the development of novel light sources as planned at the HZB in Adlershof. The prototype of an Energy Recovery Linac (BERLinPro) has been planned and will be put into operation step by step within the next years. Its heart piece: a superconducting linear accelerator.
Jens Knobloch also was leader of the research project for the draft of a design report for the formerly planned FEL project (free electron laser), a light source producing extremely light and short X-ray pulses.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Jens Knobloch, e-mail: jens.knobloch(at)helmholtz-berlin.de, tel.: +49 30 / 6392-4883