Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin


Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. The institute studies the structure and dynamics of materials and investigates solar cell technology. Several large scale facilities are available, the most important of which are the 10 MW BER II nuclear research reactor at the Lise Meitner campus in Wannsee and the third-generation BESSY II synchrotron in Adlershof.

History

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin was created on 1 January 2009 by the merger of Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin and Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung, thus bringing BESSY into the Helmholtz Association.
The Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, named after Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner, was founded 14 March 1959 in Berlin-Wannsee to operate the BER I research reactor that began operation with 50 kW on 24 July 1958. Research originally focused on radiochemistry. In 1971, the federal government took over a 90% share in the HMI.
The Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft für Synchrotronstrahlung was founded in 1979. The first synchrotron BESSY I in Berlin-Wilmersdorf began operations in 1982.