The world's most powerful X-ray source is 1,000 billion times brighter than the Sun
About 50 km north of downtown Beijing, construction of the world's most powerful X-ray light source is nearing completion, expected to be operational later this year to support research in many fields from materials science to biomedicine and physics, according to MSN. The High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) facility will produce X-ray beams 1,000 billion times brighter than the Sun's surface in terms of photon density, thanks to extremely high focus and precision. HEPS will surpass similar facilities in Europe, Asia and the United States, according to the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is in charge of developing the facility.
"Once HEPS reaches its designed brightness, it can reveal the microscopic world at an unprecedented level of detail," said Pan Weimin, project director at the institute. "HEPS will provide a powerful tool to manipulate matter and observe its entire life cycle." The facility has begun handover work, marking the implementation of a test of the integrated system with a real photon beam, a key stage to fine-tune the machine before conducting a test run, according to Pan.
Since the 1970s, more than 70 light sources have been built around the world to help scientists observe deep inside matter, from decoding virus structures to developing advanced aerospace materials, batteries and semiconductors. These facilities work through accelerating electrons to near the speed of light and controlling them with powerful magnets. When electrons change direction, they emit high-energy light particles, which researchers use to probe the atomic and molecular structure of materials.
HEPS is a fourth-generation light source, a major technological leap, using an ultra-low-emissivity storage ring to keep the electron beam focused and stable. This allows scientists to observe smaller structures, faster processes, and weaker signals than before. Its design luminosity is higher than that of other generation 4 facilities such as the Extremely Brilliant Source at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France.
Pan and his colleagues emphasized technological self-reliance and independent initiative in developing core components of HEPS. One example is a new injection and extraction method that enhances accelerator performance while reducing environmental impact. Instead of discarding the low-energy electron beam after use, HEPS returns them to their initial phase, where they mix with new particles and accelerate again. This method reduces electricity demand, improves beam quality and overcomes the limitations of the tightly packed magnet structure at the base.
With a total cost of 665 million USD, HEPS is one of the key national scientific infrastructure projects prioritized in the 13th five-year plan in China. Construction began in June 2019 and is expected to last for more than 6 years. To date, engineers have completed the accelerator and the first 14 paths. HEPS will support the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), one of the leading third-generation light sources in China.
An Khang (According to MSN)