China is nearing completion of the world’s most powerful X-ray source — the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS), located in the science city of Huairou, about 50 kilometers from Beijing. This fourth-generation synchrotron radiation facility, boasting record-breaking brightness, is expected to go online by the end of the year. Once operational, it will surpass all existing systems, including France’s Extremely Brilliant Source, becoming a critical tool for research in materials science, biomedicine, and physics.
HEPS is a major national project with a budget of about 5 billion yuan (approximately 56 billion rubles), and construction began in 2019. The facility features a storage ring with ultra-low emittance, providing highly stable and focused electron beams. This enables researchers to study the tiniest structures and ultra-fast processes with unprecedented precision. In terms of photon density, the emitted radiation will be a trillion times brighter than the surface of the Sun.
A standout feature of HEPS is its innovative method of recycling electron beams. Instead of discarding low-energy particles, the system merges them with new ones and reaccelerates them — reducing energy consumption, minimizing environmental impact, and boosting overall efficiency. Its optimized magnetic structure also contributes to a compact and powerful design.
HEPS will complement the existing Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), which has been in operation since 2009. The new system will help ease demand for beamline access and significantly expand China’s scientific capabilities in strategically important fields.
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