The newly upgraded Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has successfully produced its first X-rays. With up to a million X-ray flashes per second, 8,000 times more than its predecessor, the LCLS-II upgrade enables scientists to explore atomic-scale, ultrafast phenomena that are key to a broad range of applications, from quantum materials to clean energy technologies and medicine. Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division and Engineering Division played a lead role in developing several critical LCLS-II components, including the magnet arrays, the state-of-the-art injector that provides the electrons, and the control system that manages the beam.

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SLAC fires up the world’s most powerful X-ray laser: LCLS-II ushers in a new era of science
September 18, 2023 / Joe Chew / Berkeley Lab News Center

Adapted from SLAC’s press release:
SLAC fires up the world’s most powerful X-ray laser: LCLS-II ushers in a new era of science
September 18, 2023 / Ali Sundermier / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory News