Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
ALS Director’s Update: Reflections on Our Past, Present, and Future
We entered the new year on a very positive note with the passage of a federal budget for fiscal year 2016 that will provide a modest increase in funding for ALS operations. Our productivity continues to be excellent, our partnerships are strong, and we are busy adding to our scientific capabilities. Read more…
A New Pathway for Radionuclide Uptake
Scientists have reported a major advance in understanding the biological chemistry of radioactive metals, opening up new avenues of research into strategies for remedial action in the event of possible human exposure to nuclear contaminants. Read more…
Synchrotron infrared nanospectroscopy (SINS) was used to study the behavior of phonon polaritons in ultrathin crystals of hexagonal boron nitride. The results pave the way towards engineering infrared-light photonic nanodevices and expand our understanding of polariton behavior in low-dimensional nanomaterials. Read more…
Industry @ ALS: ALS, Molecular Foundry, and aBeam Technologies Collaborate to Make Metrology History
A collaboration between Bay Area company aBeam Technologies, the ALS, and the Molecular Foundry is bringing cutting-edge metrology instrumentation to the semiconductor market, which will enable a new level of quality control. Read more…
ALS Science Briefs
On the Road to ANG Vehicles with Increased Driving Ranges
An international team of researchers, using gas adsorption studies, in situ powder x-ray diffraction, and single-crystal x-ray diffraction, showed that there is a way to develop a new flexible metal-organic framework (MOF) material for enhanced natural gas storage on vehicles. Read more…
Foreign DNA Capture during CRISPR-Cas Adaptive Immunity
Using macromolecular crystallography Beamline 8.3.1 at the ALS, Berkeley researchers discovered how CRISPR/Cas captures foreign DNA for the bacterial immune system. Read more…
ALS “Workhorse” Endstation Retires after 22 Years of Service
Following a career spanning more than two decades and over 450 publications, ALS endstation 8.0.1.1 retired last October. So what happens to a retired endstation? Read more…
Ringleader: Warren Byrne, ALS Principal Scientific Engineering Associate
We sat down recently with Principal Scientific Engineering Associate Warren Byrne to get his take on the history and future of the ALS, from an accelerator point of view. Read more…
Call for General User Proposals—March 2 Deadline
The User Office is accepting new General User Proposals (GUPs) from scientists who wish to conduct research at the ALS in the 2016-2 July-Dec cycle. The proposal submission deadline is March 2, 2016. Read more…
The ALS resumed user operations on January 13 after a three-month scheduled shutdown. Data for the first month of user operations since the shutdown will be posted in the February edition of ALSNews.
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
