Tsinghua University in Beijing has developed the world’s first sub-ångström snapshot spectral imaging chip, named Rafael, marking a breakthrough in high-resolution spectroscopy.

According to an article published on Wednesday in Nature by professors from Tsinghua’s Department of Electronic Engineering, Rafael delivers double the total transmittance of previous devices and nearly two orders of magnitude improvement in spectral resolving power, verified through extensive experimentation.

The chip is capable of capturing sub-ångström spectra, recording all atomic absorption peaks of up to 5,600 stars in a single snapshot. The researchers noted that this represents a 100- to 10,000-fold improvement in observational efficiency compared with world-class astronomical spectrometers.

Experts said the technology has the potential to significantly advance research across multiple fields, from astrophysics to materials science, by enabling unprecedented precision in spectral imaging.