China's FAST aims to discover 1,000 pulsars in 2024

After the Spring Festival holiday, China has resumed its scientific research activities across a range of major national science and technology infrastructures, setting the stage for significant scientific breakthroughs this year. These infrastructures, fundamental to driving innovation, are tasked with unraveling the mysteries of the universe, understanding the laws of nature, and spearheading technological revolutions.

In southwest China's Guizhou Province, the spotlight is on the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), which holds the title of the world's largest and most sensitive single-dish radio telescope. To date, FAST has identified 833 pulsars, a feat that triples the discoveries made by its global counterparts.

"This year, our goal is to increase our pulsar discoveries to 1,000. We're especially keen on observing unique and groundbreaking pulsars in physics, such as those in pulsar-black hole binary systems, which have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe," said Jiang Peng, FAST's chief engineer.

In the high altitudes of Daocheng, southwest China's Sichuan Province, the most sensitive and advanced ultra-high energy gamma-ray detectors are undergoing maintenance.

These detectors are part of a grand vision to establish a mega array of 32 Cherenkov Telescopes across a 1.36 square kilometer observation station. This expansion will enhance the station's capability to detect gamma rays emitted by celestial bodies and pinpoint their sources, further refining measurements of identical particles and single elements in the cosmos.

Meanwhile, in Hefei, east China's Anhui province, the world's first Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is in the midst of a new series of physical experiments. Scientists there are upgrading the ion cyclotron resonance heating system, aiming to achieve an operational duration exceeding a thousand seconds.

China's commitment to scientific infrastructure is evident in its development of 77 major national science and technology infrastructures, 35 of which are already operational. Some of them have quickly risen to become world leaders in their respective fields.