free-electron laser

noun

free-elec·​tron laser ˈfrē-i-ˈlek-ˌträn- 

: a laser that can be tuned over a wide range of frequencies and that produces electromagnetic radiation by the motion of electrons moving at relativistic velocities in a magnetic field

Examples of free-electron laser in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the recent past, free-electron lasers such as the Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States have emerged as a source of bright X-ray laser light. —Niranjan Shivaram, The Conversation, 4 Oct. 2023

With pulses that short, observers can harness a free-electron laser to see individual atoms in motion, molecules making and breaking bonds, and even electron orbitals in excitation. —IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above