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
China's economic and trade exhibition sector experienced steady growth in 2024, with a total of 3,844 events held, according to a report released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) on Friday.
The report was released at the 20th China Expo Forum for International Cooperation (CEFCO), a key annual event in the global exhibition industry, which opened in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Thursday.
Themed "Empowering a Sustainable Future with New Quality Productive Forces," the three-day forum has attracted over 600 industry professionals from 20 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with participants sharing insights and discussing the future prospects of the global exhibition industry.
The report shows that in 2024, a total of 3,844 economic and trade exhibitions was held nationwide (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions), with a total exhibition area of 155 million square meters.
The number of exhibitions remained basically the same as the previous year, while the exhibition area increased by 10.1 percent year on year. The average exhibition area per exhibition increased from 35,900 square meters in 2023 to 40,300 square meters, an increase of 12.3 percent.
"In terms of exhibition scale distribution, it has continued to optimize. In 2024, the number of small exhibitions with an area of 10,000 square meters or less dropped sharply, a year-on-year decrease of 25.8 percent; the number of large and medium-sized exhibitions with areas of 50,000 to 100,000 square meters increased significantly, a year-on-year increase of 11.8 percent," said Wu Shengrong, head of the department of exhibition under the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
The report also shows that China's outbound exhibitions are showing a strong momentum of development. In 2024, the number of overseas exhibition projects approved by CCPIT and actually fulfilled reached 1,166, including 99 overseas exhibitions hosted by Chinese units. These projects involved 68 organizers and more than 50,000 exhibitors from 60 countries or regions.
The top three countries in terms of the number of China's outbound exhibition projects in 2024 are Germany, the United States, and Russia.
"We don't look at it as competitiveness, we look at it as cooperation. I do think that our industry, more than many industries, recognize that if the China trade show industry is strong, and the U.S. trade show industry is strong, we all benefit. I do feel that the collaboration is increasing, and I think that 2025 is really (great). The optimism is that we can all have a great year, this coming year," said Vincent Polito, CEO of Society of Independent Show Organizers.
China's exhibition industry shows steady growth in 2024: report
