The HiLUX Facility (left) replaces the current Ultra Facility (right) which has been partially sunset to make way and will be fully decommissioned once HiLUX is operational
HiLUX is an investment from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund to establish a world leading capability for time resolved and vibrational science. Most physical, chemical and biological processes in life, nature and modern technology are dynamic in character i.e. they change with time, often on timescales that are extremely rapid – picoseconds or femtoseconds. HiLUX, which will be globally unique, will enable these to be studied with exquisite detail and sensitivity, peeling back the subtle step-by-step inner workings of how “things" happen that would otherwise be hidden in time aggregated measurements. Example impact areas include ultrafast device physics and chemistry, biomedical diagnostics, industrial biotechnology, drug discovery, advanced materials, quantum technologies, catalysis, batteries and energy research.
What is sunset ? HiLUX will replace the CLF's Ultra facility which has already been partially sunset to make way and will be completely sunset when HiLUX is fully commissioned in 2028. HiLUX also provides a key systems upgrade to the Artemis facility, essentially replacing old beamlines with state-of-art-capabilities. HiLUX is being constructed within the same physical footprint of the Ultra and Artemis systems in building R92 (formerly the Research Complex at Harwell). The design of HiLUX enables the independent operation of four end stations providing much greater capacity for the industrial exploitation of the facility alongside its academic use.
