A new multi-disciplinary team aims to automate complex sample handling at Beamline 7.3.3, leveraging AI and robotics to speed up material optimization and discovery. Read more »
Ian Lacey, Principal Scientific Engineering Associate
The storage ring of the ALS generates incredibly bright beams of x-rays. But they are only useful to users, if we can steer and focus them onto the sample. Ian Lacey, working in the metrology lab of the ALS, helps measure and tune the optical elements needed for that steering. Read more »
Director’s Message on Beamlines
As we are preparing for a transformative upgrade of the ALS, we are also reviewing our beamline portfolio to ready it for our operation after the dark time. To make space for new scientific developments, we have made the difficult decision to not reopen several beamlines and endstations. We have held a series of user forums and look forward to continued engagement with our community for new developments and opportunities. Read more »
January–July 2026 Operating Schedule Announced
The operating schedule for the 2026-1 cycle (January-July 2026) has been posted. The next shutdown will begin in January 2026 and will last approximately four weeks. Afterwards, we will have five months of user beamtime through early July, and then we will shut down for the second half of 2026 for the replacement of the switch station through which all power for the ALS accelerator comes. The most up-to-date information on the current schedule and future outlook can always be found on the Operating Schedule web page. Read more »
To Study Alien Atmospheres, ALS Fractures Nitrogen Gas
A research team used the ALS to recreate how the Sun breaks apart nitrogen to inform a new model that can be used to understand the fate of a variety of elemental isotopes to explain atmospheric evolution on planets across the solar system. Read more »
Beam Across the Bay: ALS Visits SSRL
It is rare to find synchrotron light sources around the world, much less two within 50 miles of each other. Capitalizing on their proximity, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource hosted the Advanced Light Source for a day of introductions and reconnections, all in the name of science. Read more »
Separating an Electron into Waves of Spin and Charge
Researchers are exploring how a thin film can host a Tomonaga–Luttinger liquid, which separates an electron’s charge and spin. The research findings could contribute to the development of ultra-compact and energy-efficient technologies. Read more »
The Quest for an Altermagnet
Researchers determine the unique electronic structure of altermagnets, which offers numerous benefits in creating energy-efficient devices based on spin-polarized electron currents. Understanding how altermagnetism works could contribute to the development of next-generation memory, logic, or sensing devices that are faster and consume less power. Read more »
Greg Hura, SIBYLS Team Receive Halbach Award
Greg Hura and the Structurally Integrated BiologY for the Life Sciences (SIBYLS) team received the 2025 Klaus Halbach Award for Innovative Instrumentation at the recent 2025 User Meeting “for their pioneering work in developing the time-resolved, high-throughput, small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) technique at Beamline 12.3.1.” Read more »
Designing Quantum Materials for Future Electronics
Researchers bring theory into practice and confirm a new material’s characteristics at the ALS. The study opens new opportunities to design a substance that renders extra “handles” on the electron—not just its charge, but its spin and valley—so we can build computers that are faster, cooler, and more energy-efficient compared to traditional electronics. Read more »
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