Insider Brief
- China is building a state-of-the-art attosecond laser facility to observe ultrafast particle behavior and drive innovation in science and technology, Guangdong Today reports.
- The Advanced Attosecond Laser Infrastructure (AALI), spanning sites in Dongguan and Xi’an, will feature 10 beamlines and 22 research terminals, enabling breakthroughs in fields like quantum computing and biomedicine.
- Attosecond lasers, capable of capturing electron motion at quintillionths of a second, provide unprecedented precision for studying microscopic phenomena and fostering high-tech industries, including quantum computing.
China has begun constructing a major scientific facility designed to generate attosecond lasers, a cutting-edge technology that can “see” ultrafast particles and could be used to boost that nation’s efforts to tap quantum computing, according to Guangdong Today.
The Advanced Attosecond Laser Infrastructure (AALI) will span two sites: Dongguan in Guangdong Province and Xi’an in Shaanxi Province. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is developing the site, the newspaper reports. The facility aims to establish 10 beamlines — paths guiding focused particle beams — covering extreme ultraviolet, soft X-ray, and terahertz wavelengths, along with 22 research terminals. Completion is expected within five years, the CAS Institute of Physics (IOP) reported.
Attosecond lasers represent a leap in understanding microscopic phenomena. An attosecond is one-quintillionth of a second—a scale so brief that light can travel only the length of an atom in that time. This extreme speed allows scientists to capture electron motion inside atoms and molecules, which move too quickly to observe using longer pulses of light.
Attosecond laser is akin to a camera flash that lasts billions of billions of times briefer than a second, the physicists working on the project told Guangdong Today. These flashes slow the movement of electrons, making it possible to study their behaviors with unprecedented precision.
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics highlighted the significance of this field, recognizing three physicists for their work with ultrashort light pulses. Attosecond laser technology has since become a vital tool for examining the interactions and dynamics of electrons, which are fundamental to understanding physical, chemical, and biological processes.
“The technology of attosecond laser has provided a groundbreaking tool for the direct measurement of electronic dynamics,”Zhao Kun, a researcher with the CAS Institute of Physics and chief engineer of the Dongguan portion of AALI, told Guangdong Today. Zhao said the device has the potential to address fundamental challenges in fields like physics, chemistry, materials science, information technology, and biomedicine.
By capturing electron dynamics, the facility could drive advances in areas such as quantum computing, high-temperature superconductivity, and ultrafast magnetic storage. These capabilities are essential for pushing the boundaries of modern technology.
Beyond research, AALI is expected to bolster high-tech industries. Zhao noted it could play a role in applications including quantum computing, high-temperature superconductivity and ultrafast magnetic storage. The facility is also likely to stimulate innovation in emerging sectors that rely onprecise laser technologies.
Attosecond science has gained prominence as researchers explore the fundamental workings of matter. Electrons, which govern the evolution of microprocesses, are central to these studies. AALI’s comprehensive setup aims to support these investigations by providing specialized tools and infrastructure for probing electron behavior at attosecond timescales.
As the facility develops, it reflects China’s growing commitment to cutting-edge scientific research and its ambition to lead in high-impact technologies. With AALI, the country positions itself as a hub for advanced research and industrial innovation, leveraging one of the fastest tools in modern science.
