World's Most Powerful X-Ray Laser Set for Major Upgrade

The World's Most Powerful X-Ray Laser Is Getting a Huge Upgrade

LCLS-II-HE is the second upgrade in as many years for a laser beam in Menlo Park, California, that reveals some of nature's most microscopic mysteries in sharp detail. A new upgrade to the world's most powerful X-ray free-electron laser has been given the go-ahead by the Department of Energy, paving the way for a futuristic new look at the world on the smallest scales. The X-ray laser is the Linac (short for linear accelerator) Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California. Like other linear accelerators, SLAC's machine moves electrons at near-light-speed to generate X-rays that can then be directed at microscopic samples, pieces of metal, and other small things to reveal how things work on the smallest scales. You can read a full breakdown of how LCLS works and see inside the particle accelerator here. One year ago, SLAC announced first light in LCLS-II, which made the linear accelerator's output about one million X-ray pulses per second, about 8,000 times brighter than LCLS. Now, work has officially begun on LCLS-II-HE (for "High Energy"), which will energize the accelerator's output through the installation of long cryomodules that each contain eight superconducting cavities through which the electrons travel. "Each cryomodule produces a burst of microwave energy that drives the bunch of electrons to move faster and faster (i.e., gain energy), like kicking a moving ball again and again," Mike Dunne, LCLS' director, told Gizmodo in an email. "For every additional meter of cryomodule, the electron beam will gain about 24 MeV additional energy," he said. "When all stacked together, they increase the energy from the current limit of 4 GeV (4000 MeV) to 8 GeV." LCLS-II-HE is a major project -- a $716 million project -- that requires collaboration across a handful of the United States' national laboratories to get over the line. The entire upgrade consists of 23 cryomodules, built and tested by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory designed the undulators that wobble the electrons to produce the X-rays. Michigan State University's Facility for Rare Isotope Beams was also a partner on the major upgrade. About 95% of the cryomodule cavities have been made to date, and 10 of the superconductive containers themselves have already been delivered to SLAC. Though the DOE only recently gave the full go-ahead on the project, it had previously approved the manufacturing and delivery of LCLS-II-HE components. It's hard to summarize all the scientific research advancements that could happen with the development of LCLS-II-HE, which is expected to be complete by 2030, though experiments could start as soon as 2027. The X-rays produced by the device can take sharp movies of reactions on the molecular scale, revealing everything from the foundations of photosynthesis to how metals transition between phases. This month's beamtime proposals for LCLS covered a range of fields, including materials science, chemistry and catalysis, atomic, molecular, and quantum science, astrophysics, fusion, and biosciences, Dunne told Gizmodo. The energy grid, our understand of the cosmos, our computers and the internet -- most sectors of life stand to gain from improved machines at SLAC. The new upgrade will also use machine learning and other artificial intelligence methods to help tune the accelerator, improving the beam performance and analyze the data produced by LCLS. There will be a lot of data; the machine's production will jump from about 2 gigabytes per second to over 1,000 gigabytes per second. "To put this into context, a typical online movie is about one GB, and so we'll be processing the equivalent of a thousand movies per second -- in which we need to study subtle changes in every frame of every movie -- in real time!," Dunne explained. "To counter this, we're developing intelligent data systems that can extract out the key information, and compress the data to the greatest extent possible." With over a petabyte of data generated per day analyzing all aspects of the universe on an atomic scale, the team will need computational methods that can manage all that information. Though LCLS-II-HE probably won't be complete until the turn of the decade, the souped-up X-rays could be in use in just a few years. I hope you're ready for the future -- it's coming soon.

New Upgrade Will Supercharge Atomic Vision of the World's Most Powerful X-Ray Laser

Newswise -- Menlo Park, Calif. -- The Department of Energy (DOE) has given the green light for construction to begin on a high-energy upgrade that will further boost the performance of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world's most powerful X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) at the DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. When complete, the upgrade will allow scientists to explore atomic-scale processes with unprecedented precision and address fundamental questions in energy storage, catalysis, biology, materials science and quantum physics like never before. "This high-energy upgrade to LCLS strengthens the lab's position as a world leader in X-ray and ultrafast science," said SLAC Lab Director John Sarrao. "With the critical support of the Department of Energy's Office of Science and our partner labs, the upgrade, when complete, will open new avenues for scientific discovery and innovation. This will continue to attract top talent and foster groundbreaking research across multiple disciplines." In 2023, SLAC celebrated completion of the LCLS-II project, taking X-ray science to a whole new level with the addition of a superconducting accelerator, two new magnetic structures, called undulators, to generate soft and hard X-rays from the electron beam, and other major leaps in technology that allow the facility to produce up to a million X-ray pulses per second - 8,000 times more than its predecessor. The new upgrade project, called LCLS-II-HE, will double the energy of the electron beam coming out of the superconducting electron accelerator, which will more than double the maximum X-ray energy and deliver a 3,000-fold performance increase in average X-ray brightness for "hard," or high-energy, X-rays. "The LCLS-II-HE upgrade will be a transformative advance for the scientific mission of DOE Basic Energy Sciences and the broader scientific community," said LCLS Director Mike Dunne. "If the LCLS-II upgrade enabled a high-quality movie camera capable of capturing clear and detailed images, the LCLS-II-HE upgrade greatly boosts that camera's resolution and sensitivity. Scientists will be able to image the atomic-scale motion of materials, chemical systems and biological complexes to address some of the most critical challenges facing our society." With favorable Critical Decisions 2 and 3 (CD-2/3) in September 2024, DOE has formally approved construction of the $716M project, representing a significant advancement in X-ray laser technology. Teaming up with partner labs for higher power When LCLS turned on in 2009, it was the world's first free-electron laser producing hard X-rays. Since then, similar light sources have sprung up around the world. The LCLS-II upgrade significantly boosted the facility's power beyond anything else in the world. The new superconducting accelerator built as part of the LCLS-II upgrade comprises 37 cryogenic modules that are cooled to minus 456 degrees Fahrenheit - colder than outer space - a temperature at which it can boost electrons to high energies with nearly zero energy loss. The cryomodules were designed by DOE's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), who partnered with Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) to share their construction and testing. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Argonne National Laboratory designed the undulators which are used to produce the X-rays. SLAC has teamed up with these national labs, along with the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University, once again for the LCLS-II-HE upgrade project. A set of 23 new cryomodules are being built and tested by Fermilab and Jefferson Lab, each containing eight superconducting radiofrequency cavities that implement the latest technology for enhanced performance. The high-energy upgrade will use the existing hard X-ray undulator and SLAC will partner with Berkeley Lab again to modify the soft X-ray undulator so that both can be used simultaneously with the new beam. Fabrication and delivery of the cryomodules are already well underway, thanks to prior approval by the DOE to procure these long-lead-time components to be ready to start installation in the SLAC accelerator tunnel by the end of 2025. To date, about 95% of the cavities have been produced and 10 cryomodules delivered to SLAC. Tests indicate that these should achieve a performance level at least one and a half times higher than the cryomodules produced for the LCLS-II upgrade, showing the rapid pace of change in this field. "Teamwork and collaboration drive the groundbreaking advancements in XFEL technology, enabling unprecedented exploration of atomic and molecular structures at ultrafast timescales," said LCLS-II-HE Project Director Greg Hays. "This collective effort harnesses the expertise of hundreds of scientists, engineers, and technicians across the nation, building on long-standing partnerships with experts from around the world. The DOE Office of Science has a proud history of successful completion of complex, large-scale projects. The LCLS-II-HE upgrade is the latest in this line, and we're excited to move into this final phase of delivery." High energy opens new doors for science The LCLS-II-HE upgrade will enable deep insights into the atomic level dynamics that underpin the function of much of the complex world around us - from clean energy, to sustainability, to advanced manufacturing and human health. Solutions in these areas depend on a transformation in our predictive understanding and ability to control complex matter, materials and devices at the fundamental time and length scales that determine how they function. For example, with hard X-rays and the higher sensitivity made possible by the upgrade, scientists will be able to look deep into solid and liquid systems to study hidden surfaces, dissolved molecules, and nanomaterials. This ability is crucial for developing new ideas for renewable energy and catalysts to help design efficient systems for sustainable manufacturing, energy storage, and solar energy conversion into carbon-free fuels and electricity. In the field of biomedical science, a much deeper understanding is needed that links the structural evolution of a biomolecular system to its function. This is crucial for human health and biosecurity, and to inform synthetic approaches for harnessing biochemical approaches for green industrial, agricultural and energy solutions. With the high energy upgrade, LCLS will be able to map the full range of motions of biological samples as they function - and do so in physiologically relevant environments for the first time, driving the design of new targeted pharmaceuticals that can more effectively treat diseases. The upgrade will provide high-resolution tools to capture the behavior of new types of materials and quantum systems, driving the design of a new generation of ultrafast computers and communications systems, and aiming to significantly reduce energy consumption in data centers and improve the energy efficiency of electronic devices. An enhanced LCLS will also advance machine learning and AI by generating unprecedented amounts of high-quality data that can be used to train more accurate models and accelerate scientific discoveries - over a petabyte of data per day, equivalent to a million movie downloads. It will enable predictive modeling, autonomous experimentation, and the development of new algorithms, enhancing data analysis across each of these scientific fields. The high-energy upgrade is projected to be complete by 2030, with experiments potentially beginning as early as 2027. LCLS and FRIB are DOE Office of Science user facility. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory explores how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invents powerful tools used by researchers around the globe. As world leaders in ultrafast science and bold explorers of the physics of the universe, we forge new ground in understanding our origins and building a healthier and more sustainable future. Our discovery and innovation help develop new materials and chemical processes and open unprecedented views of the cosmos and life's most delicate machinery. Building on more than 60 years of visionary research, we help shape the future by advancing areas such as quantum technology, scientific computing and the development of next-generation accelerators.