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"Smashing Out" More New Particles Unknown to Humanity — Exploring the Upgraded Beijing Electron-Positron Collider After Its Second Renovation

Beside Yuquan Road in Beijing, beneath an ancient courtyard surrounded by lush greenery, lies a giant scientific facility shaped like a badminton racket — the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider. Inside this 240-meter-circumference ring-shaped device, electrons and positrons can be accelerated to near the speed of light and smashed head-on into each other. By studying the microscopic particles produced in these collisions, scientists explore the fundamental laws governing the microscopic world, verify existing physical theories, and search for unknown new particles. Recently, a reporter visited this facility to uncover the secrets of this national heavyweight that has just completed its second major upgrade. After this renovation, key indicators such as collision energy and collision luminosity have been significantly improved, achieving a historic breakthrough in core performance. Since its completion...

2026-08-11

German-Grenoble Joint Experiment: Bacteria Immobilize 96% of Uranium in Mine Water, Offering New Insights for Legacy Uranium Mine Remediation

More than three decades after the closure of the Schlema-Alberoda legacy uranium mine in Saxony, Germany, remediation pressure continues unabated. After the mine workings were flooded, the water still contains approximately 1 milligram of uranium per liter, far exceeding the World Health Organization's provisional guideline value of 0.03 milligrams per liter for drinking water. This means that even though mining has long ceased, contaminated water must still be treated over the long term to prevent radioactive metals from migrating with groundwater into rivers or drinking water sources. A team involving the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf in Germany, the University of Grenoble, and other institutions conducted experiments directly using real water samples from the mine and achieved noteworthy results: after 130...

2026-08-10

Synchrotron radiation reveals mechanism of acidophilic microalga PM01 tolerating high-concentration manganese

Researchers have used synchrotron radiation techniques to reveal the key mechanism by which an acidophilic green microalga survives in high-concentration manganese environments. The research subject is the acidophilic alga C. acidophila PM01, originally isolated from an acid mine drainage pond, which can survive at manganese concentrations up to 50 mM (approximately 2.75 g/L), making it one of the most manganese-tolerant microalgae reported to date. Manganese is a nutrient element required by organisms, but during processes such as mining, ore processing, and electrolytic manganese production, high concentrations of manganese can enter water bodies and cause pollution. In particular, manganese removal is difficult in acidic waters. Some microorganisms can adapt to such extreme environments, but their tolerance mechanisms still require fine analytical tools to elucidate...

2026-08-10

PETRA III Synchrotron Radiation Study Reveals New Clues to Aging Mechanisms of the Uterine Broad Ligament

Austrian and German research teams recently used the PETRA III facility at the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) to conduct X-ray analysis of the broad ligament, an important ligament supporting the uterus, providing new biomechanical clues for understanding the mechanisms of pelvic organ prolapse. The findings were published in *Acta Biomaterialia*. Pelvic organ prolapse is a common but poorly understood issue in women's health, affecting approximately 40% of women, and predominantly occurring in the latter half of life. Medical researchers have previously speculated that age-related loosening of the ligaments surrounding the uterus may be a significant contributing factor to prolapse. The broad ligament connects the uterus to the pelvic wall, and its strength and elasticity primarily derive from collagen...

2026-08-09

KEK in Japan Completes World's First "Quantum Multi-Beam Utilization" Synchrotron Radiation Beamlines

On August 6, the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) announced that the BL-11A and BL-11B beamlines at its Photon Factory (PF) synchrotron radiation experimental facility have been completed as the world's first quantum multi-beam utilization beamlines, enabling the simultaneous use of hard X-ray and soft X-ray beams. According to reports, BL-11A and BL-11B were constructed in collaboration with the Synchrotron Radiation Academic Infrastructure Network. This network consists of synchrotron radiation facilities operated by university joint-use organizations and joint-use/joint-research centers, positioned as scientific research and educational infrastructure. The main feature of the new beamlines is the ability to simultaneously use hard X-ray and soft X-ray under the same experimental conditions, completing observations that previously required separate measurements...

2026-08-07

Dark Energy Survey Releases Six-Year Results: Data from 669 Million Galaxies Helps Constrain Cosmic Accelerated Expansion

On August 4, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) project released its six-year findings on dark energy detection. The project compiled 18 related papers, based on nearly 300,000 astronomical images captured between 2013 and 2019, recording information on 669 million galaxies, thousands of galaxy clusters, and more than 3,000 supernovae to study the accelerated expansion of the universe and the evolution of cosmic structure. To carry out DES, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory built an extremely sensitive 570-megapixel digital camera, DECam, which was installed on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the National Science Foundation's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in the Chilean Andes. (Image courtesy of Reidar Hahn/Fermi National Acceler...

2026-08-06

U.S. Laboratories Plan "Materials Discovery Cloud" to Use AI to Predict Impact of Defects in Microelectronic Devices

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Northwestern University are planning to develop a Materials Discovery Cloud platform that leverages a physics-based artificial intelligence framework to predict how tiny defects affect the performance and lifespan of microelectronic devices. Visualization of the Materials Discovery Cloud, a physics-based AI framework that integrates experimental data, simulations, and high-performance computing to predict how tiny defects affect the performance and lifespan of microelectronic devices. (Image provided by ChatGPT.) Microelectronic devices are widely used in smartphones, laptops, secure communications, and artificial intelligence hardware. As device dimensions continue to shrink and operating speeds increase, tiny defects within materials and at interfaces have a more pronounced impact on device stability. These defects can cause overheating, leakage current, switching instability, and other issues, or in certain conditions, improve electrical or thermal performance. Identifying critical defects and understanding their evolution under real-world operating conditions has become a key challenge in the design of next-generation microelectronic materials.

2026-08-06

Multinational Team Reveals Mechanisms of Lithiation in Modulating the Structural and Electronic Properties of Borophene Using Synchrotron Techniques

A research team from the Institute of Physics in Zagreb, Croatia, Elettra Synchrotron in Trieste, Italy, Shimane University, and Tokyo University of Science recently conducted a study on the interaction between lithium atoms and borophene, revealing the mechanisms by which lithiation affects the atomic structure and electronic properties of borophene. The findings were published in *ACS Nano* and selected as the journal cover article. (a) Shift of the B 1s core level toward higher binding energy; (b) reduction of the sample work function due to charge transfer from Li atoms to B atoms; (c) lithium atoms (yellow) deposited on borophene (magenta) induce deformation of the borophene lattice, attributed to significant charge redistribution within the system...

2026-08-03

U.S. Explores New Methods for Lunar Ice Detection Using Synchrotron X-ray Microtomography and Seismic Models

On July 31, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Maryland and the University of Hawaii, proposed a new method for locating subsurface ice deposits on the Moon using seismic waves. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, are expected to provide a reference for interpreting detection data and locating water resources in future lunar landing missions. The research focuses on how subsurface lunar materials respond to seismic waves. The team developed computational models to predict the behavior of lunar subsurface media of varying compositions under seismic wave excitation. Experimental results showed differences in seismic response between ice-bearing and dry rocks, indicating that seismological methods have the potential to identify ice layers buried beneath lunar regolith and rock.

2026-08-01

Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility Science Center Organizes 2026 Annual Major Science and Technology Infrastructure Operation Training

The joint training for the 2026 annual operating facilities (SSRF & SXFEL) of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as "Shanghai Advanced Research Institute"), was held in Haiyan, Zhejiang Province from July 28 to 30. Academician Zhao Zhentang, Director of the Academic Committee of Shanghai Advanced Research Institute and Director of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility Science Center; Deng Haixiao, President and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Advanced Research Institute; Chen Fengwei, Secretary of the Party Committee; Tai Renzhong, Vice President and Executive Deputy Director of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility Science Center; Zhou Sigen, Vice President; and over 260 representatives from the operation team of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility Science Center, various functional departments of Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, and sister institutions participated in the training. The opening session was hosted by...

2026-07-31

n situ GIWAXS characterization using synchrotron radiation helps overcome challenges in wide-bandgap perovskites

Wide bandgap perovskites are key light-absorbing materials for preparing high-efficiency perovskite/organic tandem solar cells. To achieve spectral matching with the narrow bandgap organic rear cell, a higher proportion of bromine is usually introduced into the perovskite composition. However, due to the different crystallization rates of iodine and bromine components during film formation, the ph...

2026-07-30

South Korea Launches Construction of Trillion-Won Saebit Synchrotron Accelerator

On July 27, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the "Korea Saebit Accelerator" at the synchrotron radiation accelerator site in Ochang, Cheongju, Nor

2026-07-27