China launches world's first heavy-ion beam facility(3)

The 45 GHz highly-charged ECR ion source has the highest magnetic fields and microwave frequency. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

LEAF's development began in 2014. In recent years, Tang and Sun's team have worked closely to enhance the facility's performance to meet experimental requirements. Tang's team has already conducted a series of experiments, including studies on carbon-carbon fusion reactions, with results soon to be published in international journals.

Tang noted that carbon-carbon fusion reactions are a challenging area of study in cosmic element evolution, remaining a frontier issue since the 1960s.

"LEAF can simulate the nuclear reactions occurring inside stars in a laboratory setting, helping scientists address long-standing questions about cosmic element evolution. It represents a significant milestone in nuclear astrophysics," he said.

Sun added that research at IMP is also underway to synthesize new elements using LEAF's advanced technology, potentially leading to the discovery of elements beyond the current periodic table.

Similar accelerator projects in the United States and Europe have also explored carbon-carbon fusion experiments. However, these efforts have been limited by equipment constraints.

"The primary limitation of traditional electrostatic accelerators has been their relatively small ion sources, which lack the power of LEAF," Sun explained.

"LEAF employs a linear accelerator equipped with a powerful Electron Cyclotron Resonance ion source to deliver high-intensity beams that meet experimental needs. This breakthrough allows for more realistic simulations of nuclear reaction environments in the universe and addresses the demands of nuclear astrophysics research."