Lightsources 101 is tailored for students and postdocs, including those who have no prior exposure to synchrotron experiments. It provides a broad introductory overview of the science one can perform at the ALS with an emphasis on some of the experimental techniques, from spectroscopy to scattering and imaging. Each topic will include a general introduction to the technique(s) and examples of applications highlighting the capabilities of the ALS beamlines.

Anyone can perform experiments at the ALS for free, and access to this facility is through a beamtime proposal process. As such, the lunch discussion session will be about how to become a user of the ALS and obtain beamtime, including guidance about how to write a proposal and how proposals are evaluated. This is the place to ask all the questions you have about a particular technique and how to successfully apply it to your scientific project! Students with no/limited prior synchrotron experience are particularly encouraged to attend.

Soft x-rays can probe large lengthscales from atomic lattice to micro-scale properties where tuning to a resonance and specific polarization give additional sensitivity to magnetic, orbital and charge orders as well as element-specific information. Coherent beams offer an even finer probe to the disorder and dynamics within these complex orders, shedding light on both magnetic and/or electric field-driven dynamics as well as thermodynamic phase transitions. Symmetries, topology and competing energetics play a vital role in both understanding and manipulating excitations or ground-state order in new intriguing material systems. Some such systems include altermagnets, twisted 2D spin materials, heavily strained interfaces and ferroic and multiferroic skyrmion orders. This workshop aims to explore current and future research in this field but will also provide mini tutorials on the relevant techniques to probe these spin and electronic degrees of freedom at the Advanced Light Source. These will include nanospectroscopy, magnetic microscopy, x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), spin-ARPES and resonant x-ray scattering with multi-modal magneto-electrical transport.

Optical-based photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR) is a relatively new technique that detects changes in infrared absorption by monitoring temperature-dependent fluctuations with a visible probe laser, resulting in a spatial resolution determined by the diffraction-limit of the visible probe. Commercial instruments can achieve a spatial resolution of ~300 nm under ideal conditions. This workshop will discuss advances in photothermal infrared spectroscopy and how it can be applied to a variety of samples.

This half day tutorial targets both new DIALS users who want to learn how it works and how best to customize it for their data, and beamline scientists who want DIALS to work fast and efficiently on their user’s data.  Both biological and chemical crystallographers are welcome.  We will advertise the tutorial on the DIALS user group online, and directly to ALS crystallographers, so we expect 20-30 attendees.  The half day session will include a few talks, a walk through of DIALS, and at least an hour of hands-on instruction with users on processing either the example data or their own data.  For beamline scientists, we hope to learn how they are using DIALS to provide tips and optimizations to improve the speed and accuracy of processing for their users.

This tutorial, presented by Frank de Groot, provides an in-depth and engaging introduction to synchrotron-based x-ray core-level spectroscopies. It explains key principles, builds theoretical understanding, and demonstrates practical calculations. Participants will explore X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), gaining detailed insights into their physical origins and theoretical frameworks.

Frank de Groot, as an author of Core Level Spectroscopy of Solids (CRC Press, 2008), brings decades of expertise in both research and teaching. The tutorial spans a wide range of model systems and delves into foundational theories focusing on charge transfer multiplet model and Density Functional Theory + multiplets. Hands-on computational sessions will be offered. CRISPY/QUANTY and CTM4XAS will be used, but attendees can also use RAS-SCF, ORCA, EDRIXS, Xclaim, etc.

Soft x-ray ptychography is a powerful method of spectroscopic imaging at very high spatial resolutions below 10 nm. With ALS-U, we are poised to offer better resolution and faster data collection. However, this is often a quite difficult technique, particularly for first time users. Here, we’ll present a practical guide to x-ray ptychography, suitable for users from those looking to see if ptychography can be a useful method for their own research, to more experienced users aiming to get the most out of their beamtime. This tutorial will start with an introduction to ptychography which covering the basics of how the technique works, and tips for being successful in collecting data. Next, a tutorial on how to go from the scattering patterns collected to real-space images through various reconstruction algorithms. Then a focus on spectral analysis of ptychography datasets to get the most out of the data that you’ve collected. And finally, we conclude with a look to the future of increasingly complex experiments and enhanced brightness of ALS-U.

Over the past decade, significant advancements have been realized in EUV and soft x-ray methodologies, particularly impacting the microelectronics and semiconductor sectors. The Advanced Light Source (ALS), in collaboration with the Center for X-ray Optics (CXRO), has been instrumental in pioneering innovations in EUV lithography, developing novel photoresist materials, and advancing precision metrology techniques. Emerging directions now include prototyping next-generation devices for cutting-edge applications in CMOS architecture, photonics, and neuromorphic computing. As we continue to align our strategic focus with these frontiers, we seek to have a discussion to further our research goals on this topic. We are particularly interested in how the manipulation of materials at the sub-10nm dimensions, enabled by the unique capabilities of CXRO’s MET5 tool and NanoFab capabilities, and nm-resolution characterization techniques of the ALS could be used to accelerate learning on nano-structured materials.

Calling all 3D data enthusiasts! Join us for a day of the latest and greatest in 3D data visualization. This session will feature ALS scientists, users and industry specialists showing off their latest software and approaches for visualizing 3D data. This special event will include a mix of presentations and hands-on demos, including a how-to for visualizing data in VR and best practices for leveraging 3D data for scientific communication. This session is geared towards all 3D data enthusiasts, from established users of the 8.3.2 tomography community to anyone interested in seeing digital data come to life.

Core-level spectroscopy, spanning soft and hard X-ray regimes such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS), provides critical insights into electronic, chemical, and structural properties of materials. However, concurrent with advancements in spectroscopic techniques and their expanding scope of applications, traditional spectral analysis methodologies—reliant on manual lineshape comparisons or heuristic interpretations—face increasing limitations when dealing with extensive experimental datasets. Addressing these challenges necessitates the assimilation of contemporary computational and machine learning (ML) based approaches into established spectroscopic protocols.

This workshop explores strategies to enhance X-ray spectroscopy analysis through optimized data acquisition, automated preprocessing pipelines, and robust theoretical validation. Emphasis will be placed on machine learning-driven techniques for spectral recognition and data distillation, as well as computational simulations to generate benchmark spectra for comparative analysis with experimental results. We plan to include dedicated sessions on data analysis needs and discussions of take-action items.

By bridging experimentalists, theorists, and data scientists, this workshop fosters an interdisciplinary approach to core-level spectroscopy. The integration of machine learning and spectroscopy is posited to provide an effective, expeditious, and efficient tool for analyzing samples of interest across diverse scientific disciplines. Attendees will gain practical insights into emerging methodologies that accelerate data interpretation, improve spectral fidelity, and deepen the mechanistic understanding of material properties.

Artificial intelligence is transforming scientific research at synchrotron user facilities, revolutionizing data analysis, experiment design, and scientific discovery. This workshop, “Forefront AI @ User Facilities,” will bring together experts developing and implementing AI solutions across diverse scientific domains. Presentations will showcase state-of-the-art applications in structural biology, chemistry, materials science, and other fields leveraging synchrotron data. Participants will explore how AI enhances research workflows through improved data processing, automated feature extraction, experiment steering, and knowledge discovery from massive datasets. The workshop will highlight successful implementations at user facilities worldwide, address technical and practical challenges, and discuss emerging capabilities from foundation models to autonomous experimentation. Interactive demonstrations will provide hands-on experience with software tools available to the user community. Through a combination of invited talks, flash presentations, software demos, and panel discussions, this workshop will foster collaboration between AI developers and domain scientists, helping to shape the future integration of AI within user facility research and establishing best practices for the broader scientific community.