The work is reported in the August 11 edition of the journal Science .
Light is one of the most important investigative tools for science.
The invention of the laser provided a revolutionary source of coherent light that created many new fields of scientific research. The development of the HGHG FEL may extend the reach of lasers to much shorter wavelengths, thus opening new research opportunities. There is great interest around the world in producing coherent X-rays using FEL techniques. Both the FEL and the NSLS are based on accelerator technology, but the light pulses produced by a synchrotron are non-coherent, which means the electrons that emit the light are unorganized, like musicians playing discordantly while warming up before a concert. On the other hand, like musicians playing together in a symphony following a conductor's lead, the HGHG FEL emits coherent light, which makes the light more useful for experiments.