Hefei Advanced Light Source achieves first electron beam emission

The Hefei Advanced Light Source (HALF) linear accelerator in Anhui province, China, has successfully achieved its first electron beam emission. This milestone marks a critical step in the development of the fourth-generation low-energy synchrotron radiation facility.

Located in the Hefei Future Grand Science City, the HALF facility utilizes diffraction-limited storage ring technology. The linear accelerator, which is approximately 192 meters long, accelerates electron bunches to a design energy of 2.2 gigaelectron-volts (GeV). The brightness and coherence of the soft X-rays produced by HALF are expected to be over a hundred times higher than those of third-generation light sources.

Once fully operational, the facility will serve as a high-precision experimental platform for research in material science, life sciences, and energy science. Key application areas include high-temperature superconductivity, new energy batteries, aerospace, biomedicine, and advanced materials. The project is intended to complement China's existing light sources by providing specialized energy ranges for cutting-edge scientific exploration.