FLASH II: A project update

FLASH has been a user facility since 2005, delivering radiation in the wavelength range between 4.1 and 45 nm using the SASE principle. So far the user requests for beam time by far exceeds the time available. In order to increase user beam time and improve the radiation properties delivered to users, a mayor extension of the user facility called FLASH II has been proposed by DESY in collaboration with the HZB, which is a seeded FEL over the parameter range of FLASH. After several years of design, the project now enters its construction phase, which will last approximately 2 years. In the mean time, tests are performed in order to prepare for a multi-undulator operation of the facility. In addition, complete start-to-end simulations will complete the simulations which have been performed so far.