Hefei Advanced Light Facility: Empowering Research on Correlated Electron Systems

Abstract

The Hefei Advanced Light Facility is a fourth-generation diffraction-limited storage ring light source scheduled to begin operation in 2028. With its high-brightness and highly coherent X-rays, it will break through the current spatiotemporal resolution bottlenecks of X-ray techniques in studying correlated electron systems, providing crucial information for understanding the nature and microscopic origins of novel physical properties in these materials. This article introduces the main scientific goals and technical advantages of the Hefei Advanced Light Facility, focusing on the application perspectives of advanced technologies such as angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, magnetic circular dichroism, coherent X-ray scattering, and coherent X-ray imaging in researches of quantum materials and correlated electron systems. These techniques will enable detailed analysis of the distribution and dynamics of electronic/spin/orbital states, reveal various novel quantum phenomena, and elucidate fluctuations of order parameters in correlated electron systems. The completion of the Hefei Advanced Light Facility will provide advanced technical supports for decoding complex quantum states and non-equilibrium properties, ultimately promoting the application of quantum materials and correlated electron systems in frontier fields such as energy and information.