BEIJING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- With the installation of its electron gun, the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) -- the first high-energy synchrotron radiation light source in China -- entered its installation phase on Monday.

HEPS is being constructed in Beijing's suburban Huairou District by the Institute of High Energy Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). It is funded by the National Development and Reform Commission.

As one of China's key scientific and technological infrastructure projects, HEPS is expected to become one of the brightest fourth-generation synchrotron radiation facilities worldwide and will serve as a research platform for material science, chemical engineering, biomedicine and other fields.

A synchrotron radiation light source is a source of electromagnetic radiation usually produced by a storage ring. To generate extremely bright light, electrons will be accelerated to near the speed of light in several stages and forced to travel in a closed path.

The HEPS facility is composed of several parts, including accelerators, beamlines, end stations and support facilities. The electron gun, the first piece of accelerator equipment installed in the accelerator tunnels, has been independently designed by China and uses Chinese technologies.

The construction of the HEPS project began on June 29, 2019, and approximately 70 percent of the construction and installation has been completed over the past two years.

The Platform of Advanced Photon Source (PAPS) technological research and development (R&D) project began trial operations on Monday, with equipment such as radio frequency and cryogenic systems, and magnet measurement and X-ray optical inspection devices beginning service.

PAPS, located opposite HEPS, provides strong support for construction, testing and technological R&D for HEPS.

Through the platform, significant frontier, systematic research work will be carried out to develop key technologies required for HEPS, including in the fields of radio frequency and cryogenics, magnetic measurement and detector technological R&D and testing, and X-ray optical inspection.