China builds extreme "super lab" to assist global scientists in probing mysteries of matter

BEIJING, Feb. 26: What astonishing phenomena might materials reveal when they are subjected to conditions mimicking the extremes of the cosmos-ultra-low temperatures, magnetic fields that are hundreds of thousands of times stronger than Earth's, and pressure close to that at the planet's core?

The Synergetic Extreme Condition User Facility (SECUF), located in Beijing's suburban Huairou District, is opening a portal for scientists to observe the bizarre phenomena of matter under such extreme environments.

After starting construction in September 2017, the SECUF passed a national acceptance review on Wednesday, marking the completion of the internationally advanced experimental facility integrating extreme conditions such as ultra-low temperature, ultra-high pressure, strong magnetic fields, and ultra-fast optical fields.

The facility, led by the Institute of Physics (IOP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is a cluster of precision-controlled "extreme environment generators." It serves as a "super lab" for probing the frontiers of materials science. Here, scientists can explore the mysteries of matter and uncover new phenomena or laws invisible under ordinary conditions.

The SECUF can cool materials to an extremely low temperature of 1 millikelvin, which is 1,000 times lower than the cosmic background temperature. It is capable of producing a steady 30 Tesla magnetic field, which is 600,000 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field, according to Lv Li, the leading scientist of SECUF.

The facility can reach an ultra-high pressure of 300 GPa, nearly equivalent to the pressure at the Earth's core. It can generate ultra-fast laser pulses lasting 100 attoseconds, which is a billionth of a second, to capture electron dynamics in real-time.

Under extreme conditions, materials often exhibit "magical" behaviours. For instance, superconductivity--where electrical resistance vanishes--occurs only at ultra-low temperatures. Additionally, some ordinary materials transform into superconductors under high pressure.

Based on the SECUF, scientists are expected to discover more superconducting materials under high pressure, and even room-temperature superconductors, which is of great significance for improving computer processing speed, Lv said.

Strong magnetic fields and ultrafast light fields allow scientists to delve deeper into the microscopic structures and dynamic behaviours of materials, experts explained.

These extreme conditions can be combined based on different research needs at the SECUF, enabling advanced experiments in material synthesis, quantum control, and ultrafast dynamics, providing an unprecedented experimental platform for research in fields such as materials science, physics and chemistry, Lv said.

The completion of the facility has significantly enhanced China's comprehensive capabilities in basic and applied basic research in the field of materials science and related areas. Researchers can conduct studies on unconventional superconductivity, topological states of matter, and novel quantum materials and devices, according to Cheng Jinguang, deputy director of the IOP.

This experimental platform is open to scientists worldwide. So far, 13 universities and research institutions from 10 countries, including Denmark, Germany, France and Japan, have conducted experiments at the SECUF, with some experimental stations already yielding scientific results, Cheng said.

Scientists plan to further enhance SECUF's capabilities while keeping its doors open to global researchers, to attract more pioneers to this "extreme challenge," unlocking discoveries that reshape humanity's understanding of the material world.