The US Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has activated the world's most potent X-ray laser called the Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS-II). This X-ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) emits a million flashes per minute and is over 10,000 times brighter than its forerunner.
New Era of X-Ray Research
According to SLAC's press release, the upgraded LCLS-II will facilitate a new era of X-ray research. It will allow scientists to scrutinize quantum materials with unprecedented precision, potentially revolutionizing computing and communications.
Moreover, it will unravel intricate chemical processes and inform the creation of more sustainable industries and cleaner energy technologies.
It will also facilitate a deeper understanding of biological molecules, potentially leading to the development of innovative pharmaceuticals. Additionally, it will enable the study of phenomena on the fastest timescales, opening up new avenues for scientific exploration.
Greg Hays, LCLS-II Project Director, emphasized the collective effort that led to this achievement. He noted that this milestone validates years of hard work and signifies a new mode of X-ray laser operation.
The upgrade, named LCLS-II, was a multi-year project involving thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians. It came with a price tag of $1.1 billion and saw substantial contributions from various institutional partners and five US national laboratories.
The XFEL technology enables scientists to capture the behavior of molecules, atoms, and electrons with unparalleled detail on the natural timescales of chemical, biological, and material changes.
LCLS, the world's first hard XFEL, has been operational since April 2009, producing X-ray pulses significantly brighter than any predecessors. However, its rate was limited to 120 X-ray pulses per second.
With LCLS-II, the capacity for X-ray pulses has soared to a million per second, marking an 8,000-fold increase over LCLS. On average, it will emit X-ray beams almost continuously, making it 10,000 times brighter than its predecessor, establishing a new world record for X-ray light sources.
"The light from SLAC's LCLS-II will illuminate the smallest and fastest phenomena in the universe and lead to big discoveries in disciplines ranging from human health to quantum materials science," said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.
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Superconducting Accelerator
The success of this endeavor is attributed to the revolutionary superconducting accelerator at the heart of LCLS-II. It consists of 37 cryogenic modules chilled to temperatures colder than outer space. That enables the acceleration of electrons to high energies with minimal energy loss.
The superconducting accelerator operates in conjunction with the existing copper one, expanding the range of energy observations and facilitating detailed snapshots of rapid processes. This also allows for examining delicate samples that were previously beyond the capabilities of other light sources.
Apart from the novel accelerator, LCLS-II required various cutting-edge components, including a new electron source, powerful cryoplants, and undulators to generate X-rays from the electron beam.
"Experiments in each of these areas are set to begin in the coming weeks and months, attracting thousands of researchers from across the nation and around the world," said LCLS Director Mike Dunne.
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