Experiments running at these higher pulse rates will allow scientists to capture ultrafast processes with greater precision, collect data more efficiently and explore phenomena that were previously out of reach.
Two years after teams at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory celebrated completion of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) upgrade project, LCLS-II, the X-ray laser has reached a major milestone: delivering 93 kHz – almost 100,000 pulses per second – a new world record for X-ray free-electron lasers. The achievement marks a critical step toward the machine’s goal of up to 1 million pulses per second, 8,000 times more than the original machine.
Experiments running at these higher pulse rates will allow scientists to capture ultrafast processes with greater precision, collect data more efficiently and explore phenomena that were previously out of reach. It transforms the ability of scientists to explore atomic-scale, ultrafast phenomena that are key to a broad range of applications, from quantum materials to energy technologies and medicine.
Read more on the SLAC website
Image: From left, Yuantao Ding, William Colocho and Franz-Josef Decker in SLAC’s accelerator control room during the ramp-up to 93 kHz.
Credit: Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory