On January 10, 2025, the "Advanced Attosecond Laser Facility", a major national scientific and technological infrastructure, officially started construction in Dongguan, Guangdong. The facility has a total of 10 beam lines and 22 research terminals. The six beamlines under construction this time are in charge of the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the other four beamlines will be constructed in Xi'an, Shaanxi, and are in charge of the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The project plans to spend 5 years building a comprehensive ultrafast electron dynamics research facility with attosecond time resolution and high spatiotemporal coherence characteristics, so as to realize the tracking, measurement and control of electron movement and in-depth exploration of the evolution of material states. , is expected to provide key technical support for my country to achieve major breakthroughs in the field of cutting-edge basic research in physical science.

Attosecond is the shortest time scale that humans can currently grasp. 1 attosecond is only one billionth of a second (10-18 seconds). In one second, light can travel 300,000 kilometers, which is equivalent to traveling around the Earth's equator seven and a half times. However, in 1 attosecond, the distance that light travels is only the size of an atom (about 0.3 nanometers), which is also equivalent to the range of movement of electrons in an atom. The emergence of attosecond lasers makes it possible to observe the movement of electrons, which is a landmark breakthrough in the history of scientific development.

The attosecond laser is like an "ultra-high-speed camera" used to capture "dynamic images" of extremely fast-moving electrons, recording their motion and the quantum properties, magnetic changes, chemical reactions, material phase changes and other phenomena determined by them. Attosecond laser provides a new technical means for studying major scientific issues in physics, chemistry, materials, information, biomedicine and other disciplines. It is expected to generate new breakthroughs in the fields of basic research and industrial technology, and has important scientific and strategic significance.

After the completion of the advanced attosecond laser facility, it will achieve full wavelength coverage from nano-soft X-rays to millimeter-terahertz, and achieve an ultra-high time resolution, space resolution, and energy resolution optical-electrical-magnetic-thermal comprehensive experimental platform. Breakthroughs have been made in performance indicators such as pulse energy, pulse width, photon energy, and photon flux, and a world-leading attosecond laser facility has been built. At the same time, achieving stable and long-term operation of attosecond laser facilities will promote the widespread application of attosecond lasers in basic science, technological innovation, industrial upgrading and other fields, and will also have a profound impact on promoting multi-disciplinary development.