China’s SHINE hard X-ray free-electron laser achieves first lasing

First lasing is the pivotal physics milestone for a free-electron laser: it confirms the accelerator, undulator and electron-beam quality work together before any user science begins. The scale here — a continuous-wave superconducting linac driving 18 undulator lines — signals an ambition toward high-repetition-rate hard X-ray capacity, which matters well beyond China's borders for fields dependent on intense X-ray beams. The open question is whether the 2027 completion and commissioning target holds, since first lasing is an early step and beamline integration and user readiness typically stretch the timeline.