China Opens Unique Free Electron Laser Facility

Physics research contributes to economic growth in many industries including manufacturing, aerospace, medical applications, information technology and more. “China is joining the elite club of countries that have equipped researchers with the potent sources of high-energy photons called free electron lasers,” reports Dennis Normile for Science Magazine. China reviewed options at other facilities and developed a source “dedicated to a particular range of short-wavelength light called vacuum ultraviolet.” China’s facility is better able to study atomic structures of gas whereas facilities in the United States and Europe are better for studying solids. Nomile explains that a linear accelerator fires electrons along a twisting path of magnets that creates more interactions and photons than a traditional particle accelerator that travels in a circular path about a kilometer or so. China plans to construct more facilities, and physicists from around the globe sign up to do research. – YaleGlobal