European Magnetic Field Laboratory

European Magnetic Field Laboratory
Name	European Magnetic Field Laboratory
Abbreviation	EMFL
Formation	2014
Type	Research infrastructure consortium
Headquarters	Grenoble; Nijmegen; Dresden
Region served	Europe
Membership	Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses, High Field Magnet Laboratory, Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Leader title	Director

Contents

European Magnetic Field Laboratory is a consortium of major European high magnetic field facilities that coordinates access, development, and research in high-field magnet science across France, the Netherlands, and Germany. The laboratory integrates user services, technology development, and collaborative programs to support experimental research in condensed matter physics, materials science, chemistry, and life sciences, linking major institutions such as Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Université Grenoble Alpes, Radboud University Nijmegen, Leibniz Gemeinschaft, and Technische Universität Dresden. EMFL fosters partnerships with funding bodies including the European Commission, national research agencies like Agence Nationale de la Recherche and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and pan-European infrastructures such as ESFRI.

Overview and Mission

EMFL’s mission is to provide open access to world-class high magnetic field facilities including resistive magnets, superconducting magnets, hybrid magnets, and pulsed-field installations located at partner sites such as Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses, High Field Magnet Laboratory, and Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The consortium advances instrument development in magnet technology, cryogenics, and measurement techniques while facilitating cross-border projects with organizations like CERN, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institut Laue–Langevin, Max Planck Society, and Paul Scherrer Institut. EMFL promotes scientific excellence by supporting research communities associated with Niels Bohr Institute, Cavendish Laboratory, ETH Zurich, EPFL, and Imperial College London.

EMFL emerged from collaborative initiatives among national high magnetic field centers, drawing on historical programs at institutions such as Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses (established programs in Grenoble and Toulouse), the High Field Magnet Laboratory at Radboud University Nijmegen, and the Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Its formalization followed strategic discussions involving the European Commission Horizon 2020 framework, input from ESFRI roadmaps, and consultations with stakeholders including European Research Council, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and national ministries such as Ministry of Higher Education and Research (France), Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap (Netherlands), and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. EMFL built on precedents set by collaborations among CNR institutes, CNRS, FOM, and Helmholtz Association laboratories.

Key EMFL member facilities include specialized sites: the pulsed-field laboratories associated with Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses, the static high-field installations at High Field Magnet Laboratory (radboud), and the hybrid magnet systems at Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The infrastructure portfolio spans superconducting magnets developed with partners like Oxford Instruments, resistive magnet coils engineered with suppliers such as Siemens-affiliated groups, and instrumentation platforms integrated with cryostats from Janis Research and probe technologies from Quantum Design. EMFL coordinates facility upgrades involving collaborations with CEA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, TU Delft, RWTH Aachen University, and industrial partners including Thales Group.

EMFL supports interdisciplinary research programs in quantum materials, low-dimensional systems, topological matter, superconductivity, magnetism, and correlated electron systems pursued by groups at Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Institute of Physics, Prague, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Stanford University (collaborations), and Université de Lausanne. Notable achievements enabled by EMFL-hosted experiments include high-field studies of unconventional superconductors connected to work from Bardeen Cooper Schrieffer theory extensions, quantum oscillation measurements building on techniques from Lifshitz–Kosevich analysis, and pulsed-field explorations of spin liquids related to research from Anderson (physicist). EMFL-facilitated results have been published alongside teams from Nature Publishing Group journals and collaborations with consortia such as Horizon Europe projects and European Research Council grantees.

EMFL operates peer-reviewed user access programs modeled on access mechanisms used by European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institut Laue–Langevin, and CERN, providing transnational access proposals for experimental campaigns from academic groups at University of Barcelona, University of Manchester, Technical University of Munich, and industry researchers from companies such as IBM Research and Hitachi. User support includes on-site technical assistance, sample environment provision from groups like Oxford Instruments, and remote proposal evaluation panels with representatives from European Physical Society, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, and national academies including Académie des sciences (France) and Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Collaborative networks extend to training schemes with Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and partnership agreements with European Molecular Biology Laboratory for structural biology high-field experiments.

EMFL coordinates schools, workshops, and training courses in magnet science and experimental techniques, partnering with academic nodes such as École Normale Supérieure, University of Grenoble Alps, Radboud University, Dresden University of Technology, and professional societies like German Physical Society, Institute of Physics (IOP), and European Physical Society. Outreach programs target science communication channels including collaborations with museums like Musée des Confluences, public events akin to European Researchers' Night, and joint exhibitions with institutions such as Deutsches Museum. Graduate and postdoctoral training aligns with doctoral programs at Sorbonne University, Leiden University, and international exchanges supported by Erasmus Mundus.

Category:Research infrastructures in Europe