Features and futures of X-ray free-electron lasers

Nanshun Huang; Haixiao Deng; Bo Liu; Dong Wang; Zhentang Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100097

Features and futures of X-ray free-electron lasers

Innovation (Camb). 2021 Mar 17;2(2):100097. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100097. eCollection 2021 May 28.

Authors

Nanshun Huang^{1

2}, Haixiao Deng^{1

3}, Bo Liu^{1

3}, Dong Wang^{1

3}, Zhentang Zhao^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
³ Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.

Abstract

Linear accelerator-based free-electron lasers (FELs) are the leading source of fully coherent X-rays with ultra-high peak powers and ultra-short pulse lengths. Current X-ray FEL facilities have proved their worth as useful tools for diverse scientific applications. In this paper, we present an overview of the features and future prospects of X-ray FELs, including the working principles and properties of X-ray FELs, the operational status of different FEL facilities worldwide, the applications supported by such facilities, and the current developments and outlook for X-ray FEL-based research.

Publication types

Review