This collection of four pioneering studies showcases the transformative capabilities of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), whose unmatched sensitivity (>100 TeV) and hybrid detector system (KM2A/WCDA) are redefining ultra-high-energy (UHE) gamma-ray astronomy. Key breakthroughs include: (1) Identifying young star-forming region W43 as a Galactic cosmic-ray accelerator (up to hundreds of TeV), evidenced by extended emission coinciding with dense gas and OB stars; (2) Resolving particle acceleration to 300 TeV within the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) of composite SNR CTA1, revealing advection-dominated transport under ≈4.5 μG magnetic fields; (3) Detecting extended VHE emissions around pulsar J0248+6021, providing critical insights into PWN-to-halo evolutionary transitions; and (4) Unraveling the mysterious UHE source J0056+6346u, potentially powered by hidden pulsars or SNR candidate. These results leverage LHAASO's ​​exceptional detector performance​​ to constrain both particle transport dynamics and extreme acceleration mechanisms across the 1 TeV–1 PeV energy range. LHAASO is ushering in a new era of UHE astrophysics, bringing us closer than ever to solving century-old cosmic-ray mysteries.

MONSARAZ, PORTUGAL – 30 June 2025 – The silence was broken by cheers and the snap of camera shutters as nine European high school students stepped out of a simulated Mars environment in Portugal, successfully completing the first-of-its-kind EXPLORE analog mission. From 23 to 27 June 2025, these students from Austria, Greece, and Portugal traded their everyday lives for a challenging five-day immersion in an isolated, Mars-like landscape near Monsaraz, in the wilds of the Alentejo province.

Based on the theory of coherent inverse Compton scattering, researchers have proposed a novel scheme for generating high-intensity extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray light beams. In this scheme, specially designed structured light fields, featuring periodic patterns in both space and time, are used to interact with high-energy electron beams. This interaction leads to inverse Compton scattering, where the scattered photons possess higher energy than the incident ones. Due to the periodic structure of the structured light fields, the scattering process becomes coherent rather than incoherent, resulting in significantly enhanced efficiency. This approach holds great potential as a powerful and efficient solution for advanced applications requiring intense EUV and soft X-ray radiation.

Astronomers have uncovered a vast cloud of energetic particles — a ‘mini halo’ —  surrounding one of the most distant galaxy clusters ever observed, marking a major step forward in understanding the hidden forces that shape the cosmos.