A huge boost in the performance of the brightest laser in the world is possible using VAT’s vacuum valves. To achieve this, a second x-ray laser beam has been added to the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) installed at the National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) of Stanford University in California. According to a press release, as the VAT vacuum valves that have already been installed in the LCLS since 2009 are remarkably reliable, the company from the St.GallenBodenseeArea has also manufactured the required vacuum valves for these higher performance levels.
This means that the upgraded LCLS-II will be on average 10,000 times brighter than the original light source. It fires 8,000 times faster and accelerates from 120 pulses to 1 million pulses per second.
This technology is already providing unprecedented images of the atomic world. It can create clear images of moving atoms and chemical reactions. As such, it can be used to examine the properties of materials and observe metabolic processes in living organisms. However, “the LCLS-II will significantly expand the range of experiments that can be performed at SLAC and serve as an important platform for the development of future transformative technologies”.
In the words of Martin Greuter, Sector Manager Coating, Scientific Instruments and Research at VAT, the work recently conducted by VAT for the world’s most powerful X-ray laser is some of the company’s most exciting. He adds: “We strive to develop ever more precise vacuum valve solutions. That’s how VAT helps to expand the frontiers of knowledge.”
