Attosecond laser infrastructure to boost China's innovation in ultrafast optics: scientists

The key scientific infrastructure to generate attosecond laser, which started construction on Friday in Dongguan City, south China's Guangdong Province, will boost China's innovation ability in ultrafast optics field, said scientists.

The Advanced Attosecond Laser Infrastructure (AALI), including facilities in Dongguan and Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, is being built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The AALI project is planned to set up 10 beamlines covering wavelengths in extreme ultraviolet, soft X-ray and terahertz radiation, along with 22 research terminals, forming a comprehensive attosecond science facility in the next five years, according to the Institute of Physics (IOP) of the CAS.

AALI demands driving lasers with exceptional stability and reliability, representing the pinnacle of ultrafast laser technology, thus facing numerous technical challenges.

To facilitate the smooth construction and operation of the AALI, the project has launched an innovation cluster for the high-performance laser industry. The initial members include 40 institutions, comprising 27 laser-related enterprises, 10 universities, and three research institutes. These entities are collaboratively working on establishing test platforms, streamlining supply chains, and developing industrial clusters to better integrate resources and advance the growth of related industries.

"We not only rely on the IOP (of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), but also tackle problems by working together with relevant scientific research institutes and other platform builders. After two years of effort, our team now has more than 100 members. With the development of this infrastructure, I believe it will bring more and more practical applications, including those promoting the development of related industries," said Wei Zhiyi, principal investigator of the AALI and a research fellow at the IOP.

The development of attosecond laser pulses has opened the door to the world of electrons, allowing physicists to investigate a wide range of electron behaviors. Scientists are expected to discover more novel phenomena at the attosecond scale, advancing both fundamental and applied sciences.

"In the field of ultrafast optics, attosecond lasers are at the forefront. If we can build such a large device in this field and serve a vast number of users, it will be like opening a new window and blazing a new trail in this area. It will have a great impact on our country's development in this field," said Zhao Kun, a research fellow at IOP and chief engineer of the Dongguan section of the AALI.

Attosecond laser infrastructure to boost China's innovation in ultrafast optics: scientists

The latest China-U.S. high-level meeting on economic and trade affairs in Geneva sent a positive signal for the global economy, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday.

"We welcome the direct dialogue on trade that we saw between the People's Republic of China and the United States over the weekend in Switzerland. It's very positive for the world economy. We've always said that we don't need any escalation in the trade war. We need dialogue. I think the secretary of general has been very clear that no one wins at a trade war. And as you know, I think the theme of the idea of decoupling is one that has troubled him and that he is raised on a number of issues. So it's obviously a good a good start," Dujarric said at the UN headquarters in New York.

China and the United States announced Monday a series of tariff modification measures aimed at easing trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.

The decision followed a two-day China-U.S. high-level meeting on economic and trade affairs in Geneva, Switzerland, where both sides recognized the importance of their bilateral economic and trade relationship to both countries and the global economy, a joint statement said, noting that both sides emphasized the need for a sustainable, long-term and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship.

With a combined economic output accounting for over one-third of the global total and a bilateral trade volume representing about one-fifth of global trade, China-U.S. trade ties play a pivotal role in the world economy.

International institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank have repeatedly warned that protectionism poses a major threat to the global economic recovery. In this context, the recent round of China-U.S. talks has provided a much-needed signal of stability and certainty.

UN hails China-U.S. trade talks as positive sign for world economy