A reason for hope

Jacky Song, Meher Randeria | May 17, 2026

A few months ago, we began a journey of hope, launching the Spring 2026 development season for Project Elara. Today, we are proud to announce that the Spring 2026 season has successfully concluded!

We close this season with a substantial technical achievement: the creation of the world’s first open-source undulator, entirely built and designed by students. While the undulator cannot work on its own — the electron gun is required for a complete free-electron laser — this is nonetheless a landmark moment for Project Elara. What seemed unimaginable a year ago has now come true!

For this, we must thank the diligence and ingenuity of everyone in Project Elara. The members of the build team were a massive part of making the laser possible: working together around the clock, they managed to 3D print something never printed before, developing their techniques on-the-fly. The embedded team managed to take basic specifications and turn them into an electrical system and controller for the laser from scratch. The software and webdev team’s outstanding efforts helped build the software and software libraries to enable us to conduct faster and more efficient physics simulations that are so integral to the design of the laser — not to mention the incredible work done on translating and updating the website. Last, but not in the least, the research team was able to make substantial headway in mathematical modelling and physics simulations, giving us greater confidence in our design and engineering. This was the collective achievement of an entire team, and it goes beyond any one of us.

There are, of course, many more things to do. Given the sheer scale of our open-source work, spread among 40+ repositories, we had to pick and choose what could be worked on in time, and what couldn’t. And we made the decision to delay the construction of the electron gun, due to both logistical concerns and safety concerns. We believe in doing things safely and with precise care — even if it takes longer that way. While the full laser will need some time before it is complete and ready for operation, we’ve already made extensive progress in 3D printing and manufacturing, putting us well on the way to a functioning prototype.

4 years ago, we began our mission to build a better world. 4 years later, our efforts have paid off, and that brighter future is slowly taking shape.