Mission & Goals

The Hefei Advanced Light Facility (HALF)，a major national science and technology infrastructure, is a fourth-generation low-energy synchrotron radiation machine based on the technology of the diffraction-limited storage ring. The brightness and coherence of the generated soft X-rays are more than a hundred times higher than those of third-generation light sources. It will develop new experimental methodologies with higher precision and sensitivity in the dimensions of space, time, and energy, making it an important research platform for the study of the microscopic behavior of particles, the structure of lightweight elements, and the changes in the electronic, chemical, and spin states of materials.

Key Technical Specifications of the Hefei Advanced Light Source:

>The storage ring has a beam energy of 2.2 GeV with capability for future energy increase to 2.4~2.5 GeV. The natural beam emittance at 2.2 GeV is 86 pm•rad.

> In the photon optimization energy range, the peak brightness is higher than 10²¹ ph•s^-1• mm^-2•mrad^-2•(0.1%BW)^-1, and the proportion of coherent photons under the natural emittance reaches 30% at a photon energy of 1 keV.

>The capacity of high-performance beamlines is not less than 35, with the first batch consisting of 10 beamlines.

Upon completion, the Hefei Advanced Light Source will emerge as the world's most sophisticated low-energy synchrotron radiation facility. It will propel Hefei to become a world-class hub for photon science and applied research, establish China's full-spectrum advanced light source system, and drive progress across multiple frontiers: advancing cutting-edge technologies, enhancing innovation capabilities, transforming strategic industries, and elevating comprehensive national strength.

Science & Applications

Leverage the advantages of low-energy diffraction-limited storage light source in terms of brightness, coherence, energy and spatiotemporal resolution to develop new experimental methods with higher precision and sensitivity across spatial, temporal and energy dimensions. This will enable precise measurements of the electronic, chemical and spin states of non-uniform complex systems, achieving significant breakthroughs in the national strategic fields such as functional materials, lightweight materials, energy and environment, life and health. By acting as an innovative engine, HALF will promote industrial technological innovation and applications, and support the construction of innovative country of China. 

Scheme & Plan

Construction period: 64 months (June 2023 to Sep. 2028)

Accelerator complex:

1) full-energy linac and linac-to-ring transfer line

2) diffraction-limited storage ring: 20 identical cells with 40 long and short straight sections

Beamlines: total of 35 beamlines planed, 10 of them to be constructed in phase I.

Construction Location

HALF is located in the future big science city of Hefei (Gangji Town, Changfeng County), about 17 kilometers away from Xinqiao Airport and 24 kilometers away from the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). 

Organization & Committee