China lights up ‘super microscope’ hopes with world-leading electron gun beam

AI Summary

China has successfully produced an electron beam using a state-of-the-art electron gun at the Hefei Advanced Light Facility in Anhui province. This achievement advances efforts to build a 'super microscope' capable of significant breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research and microchip technology.

China has produced an electron beam using a cutting-edge electron gun, taking a step towards building a “super microscope” that could help drive breakthroughs in everything from Alzheimer’s research to advanced microchips. The Hefei Advanced Light Facility (HALF) in central China’s Anhui province fired its first electron beam on September 20. Bunches of electrons generated by the gun were accelerated by a 192-metre (630-foot) linear accelerator until they reached 2.2 billion electron volts,...