Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
ALS-U Update: BESAC Announces Results of Facility Upgrade Prioritization
On Thursday, June 9, DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) released the recommendations of the BES Facility Upgrade Prioritization Subcommittee. I’m pleased to announce that the subcommittee considers ALS-U “absolutely central” to contribute to world leading science and “ready to initiate construction”–the highest possible ratings. Read more…
Resonant soft x-ray diffraction studies of a cuprate high-temperature superconductor revealed a 3D, long-range charge order–the first of its kind ever reported in a cuprate–that competes with superconductivity. A better understanding of such phenomena could help in the design of more robust superconductors with higher transition temperatures. Read more…
New Fuel Cell Design Powered by Graphene-Wrapped Nanoparticles
Interest in hydrogen fuel for automotive applications has been growing steadily in the scientific and automotive community over the last decade. Recently, researchers working at the ALS and the Molecular Foundry developed a promising new materials recipe based on magnesium nanocrystals and graphene for a battery-like hydrogen fuel cell with improved performance. Read more…
The tantalizing prospect of energy-saving, ultralow-power electronics has led to a vigorous search for optimal topological insulator materials. Now, an international team of scientists has discovered the first of a new class of topological insulators with unique properties: quasi-1D bismuth iodide. Read more…
Understanding the Key to Henipavirus Infection
The Hendra virus was the first member of the genus Henipavirus, an emergent group of viruses with a high mortality rate. Knowledge of the protein structure that mediates Hendra entry into host cells could enable the design of antigens with improved immunogenic response. Read more…
Power-Amplified Predatory Strikes in Trap-Jaw Spiders
Using a combination of high-speed video, molecular phylogenetic analysis, and x-ray microtomography of a family of tiny trap-jaw spiders, researchers discovered that power-amplified predatory strikes evolved four times independently, once the basic trap-jaw body plan was in place. Read more…
ALS Holds Annual Safety Day
The ALS held its annual safety day on Monday, June 13 for all ALS and associated staff. The day’s agenda included presentations from ALS management and safety staff, discussions among scientific staff, and electrical inspections of beamlines. Read more…
Ringleader: Don DePaolo, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Sciences
As Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for Energy Sciences, Don DePaolo oversees the ALS, Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, and Materials Sciences Divisions. Though many ALS staff and users may not know him personally, DePaolo has been a key figure in the ALS/DOE relationship over the past few years. Read more…
ALS Doctoral Fellowship in Residence: Apply by June 30
ALS Doctoral Fellowships allow early-career researchers to work at the frontier of synchrotron radiation research and to help advance state-of-the-art techniques and applications by spending a year in residence at Berkeley Lab working closely with an ALS staff member. Interested applicants should develop a research plan in coordination with an appropriate ALS staff member and submit an application by June 30.Read more…
Operations Update
For the user runs from May 3 to May 29, 2016, the beam reliability [(time scheduled – time lost)/time scheduled)] was 99.0%. For this period, the mean time between failures (MTBF) was 48.0 hours, and the mean time to recovery (MTTR) was 39 minutes. There were no significant interruptions.
Detailed information on reliability is available on the ALS reliability bulletin board, which is located in the hallway between the ALS and the control room in Building 80. Questions about beam reliability should be directed to Dave Richardson (DBRichardson@lbl.gov, x4376).
ALS in the News
