Using specialized equipment at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), including a custom-built reaction cell, researchers uncovered the role of manganese in cobalt manganese oxide catalysts used for fuel production. Read more »
All News & Updates
Identification and Structural Characterization of Antibodies for Severe Malaria
Researchers used x-ray crystallography at the ALS to characterize how two newly discovered antibodies prevent the protein interactions responsible for severe malaria. Understanding this mechanism offers novel insights for vaccine development. Read more »
Hide-and-Seek with Sneaky Electrons in Solids
Researchers used angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) to demonstrate the existence of dark—state electrons in solids for the first time, providing insights into complex phenomena in physics, such as high-temperature superconductivity and optoelectronics.
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Call for 2021 to 2024 Publications
Our next Department of Energy quadrennial review is coming up soon. Please help ensure our records include all publications resulting from work done, in whole or in part, at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), especially those published in 2021 to 2024. Read more »
March 5, 2025, Deadline for General User Proposals—Updated Proposal Writing Guidelines!
The User Office is accepting new General User Proposals (GUPs) from scientists who wish to conduct research at the ALS in the 2025-2 (August–December) cycle. The deadline for submissions is March 5, 2025. Please review the updated proposal guidelines, with thanks to feedback from proposal submitters and reviewers. Additional beamtime cycles will be run before the ALS-U dark time, and we will share more information as it becomes available. Read more »
Updated Chemical Safety Policy 2025
A new lab-wide chemical safety policy requires that all chemicals be reviewed and approved before they arrive at LBNL. As a user of the ALS, you must provide a complete list of chemicals you want to send or bring to the ALS and wait until you receive approval before you proceed. Chemicals that arrive without approval may be returned to the sender. For details on what is considered a chemical under this policy and instructions for obtaining approval, please see the ALS chemical safety webpage. Read more »
Whitney Loo, 2025 Users’ Executive Committee Chair
The ALS was a major selling point when Whitney Loo chose where to pursue her PhD. Now that she runs her own research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she is maintaining her ties and giving back to the ALS community by serving on the UEC. Read more »
Hendrik Ohldag Elected Fellow of IEEE
Hendrik Ohldag has been elected as a 2025 fellow of IEEE (originally chartered as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). The Board of Directors recognizes him “for contributions to studies of magnetic materials with novel x-ray techniques at high spatio-temporal resolution.”
Native American Interns Explore Engineering Opportunities at the Lab
This last summer, Berkeley Lab hosted three students from Navajo Technical University in a DOE-funded initiative that partners national labs with learning institutions whose populations are historically underrepresented in science. The goal is to increase enrollment of Native American students in Navajo Tech engineering programs. Read more »
Not All Gaps Are Created Equal
Researchers found that charge density waves (CDWs) in topological materials induce unconventional spectral gaps in the materials’ electronic structure. The finding that CDWs in topological materials can be essentially different from that in other materials should be carefully considered when designing quantum devices. Read more »