European XFEL researchers focus 300-attosecond X-ray pulses into tiny spot

The short version

• Researchers at the European XFEL reported X-ray flashes lasting an estimated 300 attoseconds, according to ScienceDaily.[ScienceDaily]
• The team used a two-mirror advanced Kirkpatrick-Baez system to focus the beam into a 180 by 330 nanometer spot.[ScienceDaily]
• Copper-sheet tests indicated peak intensities exceeding 10^20 watts per square centimeter, which the first author calls a world record.[ScienceDaily]
• The world-record claim is the first author's assessment, and only one outlet has reported it.[ScienceDaily]

Key facts

• Researchers generated X-ray pulses lasting an estimated 300 attoseconds at the European XFEL.[ScienceDaily]
• The experiment took place in April 2026 and its findings were published in the journal Optica.[ScienceDaily]
• The team used an advanced Kirkpatrick-Baez system made of two precise mirrors to concentrate the X-rays.[ScienceDaily]
• The focal spot measured 180 by 330 nanometers.[ScienceDaily]
• Testing on a thin copper sheet indicated peak intensities exceeding 10^20 watts per square centimeter.[ScienceDaily]
• Ichiro Inoue of the University of Tokyo, the first author, described the result as a world record in intensity and fluence for hard-X-ray attosecond pulses.[ScienceDaily]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Scientists squeeze record-breaking X-ray power into an incredibly tiny spotScienceDaily - Science