SLAC’s Upgraded XFEL Registers 'First Light'
MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 21, 2023 — SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory reported that the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) has produced its first x-rays following a $1.1 billion upgrade. The improvements, more than 10 years in the making, allow the laser to fire up to a million x-ray flashes per second, which is 8000 times more than its predecessor. The generated, almost-continuous x-ray beam will be 10,000 times brighter than its predecessor on average. LCLS-II will enable researchers to