TAU Systems and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have demonstrated intense, coherent light pulses from a free-electron laser (FEL) driven by a compact laser-plasma accelerator (LPA), marking a key milestone in making powerful FEL systems widely accessible.
Unlike kilometer-long traditional FELs that cost billions, the TAU-Berkeley system uses a millimeter-scale plasma structure to achieve high acceleration fields—up to 2,000 times stronger than conventional accelerators—enabling compact and cost-effective machines.
This achievement paves the way for table-top X-ray FELs with applications across semiconductors, quantum computing, and biology, offering high-resolution imaging and advanced lithography techniques previously limited to national labs.
TAU Systems and Berkeley Lab Demonstrate Advance in Compact X-Ray Laser Technology
