The Infrared (IR) Program manages and operates three infrared beamlines at the ALS to analyze a variety of hard- and soft-matter materials at the micro- and nanoscale. Synchrotron IR radiation spans the far-, mid-, and near-IR and is 100–1000 times brighter than a conventional thermal source, enabling broadband spectroscopic imaging with high signal-to-noise ratios at the diffraction limit (synchrotron IR micro-spectroscopy) and well beyond the diffraction limit (synchrotron IR nano-spectroscopy). By probing molecular and lattice vibrations, low-energy electronic excitations, and related collective plasmon and phonon resonances, the high spatial resolution of synchrotron IR spectroscopy enables measurements of heterogeneity in engineered and natural/living samples found in materials science, physics, chemistry, environmental science, biology, and medicine. Our IR micro-spectroscopy endstations have a wavelength-dependent spatial resolution of 2–10 µm in the mid-IR range, and our IR nano-spectroscopy endstations have a wavelength-independent spatial resolution of less than 25 nm.
Beamlines
- Beamline 1.4 — Infrared Microspectroscopy
- Beamline 2.4 — Synchrotron Infrared Nanospectroscopy (SINS) and Imaging
- Beamline 5.4 — Synchrotron Infrared Nanospectroscopy (SINS) and Microspectroscopy
Personnel
ALS Staff
Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers
Aleksandr (Sasha) Razumtcev
ALS Doctoral Fellow (2022- ), Purdue UniversityZixuan Li
Postdoctoral Researcher (2022- )Jonathan Larson
Postdoctoral Researcher (2018- ), Energy Storage & Distributed Resources Division, Berkeley Lab
Characterization of interfaces and interphases in electrical energy storage systems with advanced optical and x-ray probesLila Lovergne
Postdoctoral Researcher (2018- ), Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Berkeley Lab
Determining cellular disease progression with infrared spectroscopic imaging
Program Alumni
Clayton Casper
DOE SCGSR Doctoral Fellow (2020-2021), University of North Carolina at Chapel HillZiheng Yao
ALS Doctoral Fellow (2018-2021), Stony Brook UniversityJennifer Nill
ALS Doctoral Fellow (2018-2019), UC DavisLars Hellberg, Senior Lecturer, Chalmers University of Technology
Visiting Researcher (2018)Mike Martin, Senior Staff Scientist, ALS Photon Science Operations Group Lead
Infrared Program Lead (1997-2018)Omar Khatib, Visiting Researcher, Duke University
ALS Postdoctoral Scholar (2015-2017)Thomas Knight, High School Science Teacher
Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME) Program (1999, 2013)Ferenc Borondics, Principal Beamline Scientist, Synchrotron Soleil
Postdoctoral Researcher (2007-2010)Zhiqiang Li, Professor, College of Physical Science and Technology, Sichuan University
ALS Doctoral Fellow (2006-2007)Zhao Hao, Scientific Engineering Associate, Berkeley Lab
Scientific Engineering Associate (2005-2007), Postdoctoral Fellow (2003-2005)Philippe Lerch, Infrared Beamline, Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute
Visiting Scientist (2005-2006)Wayne McKinney, Adjunct Professor of Astronomy, Diablo Valley College
Staff Scientist (1995-2005)Jason Singley, Professor, Dean College of Science, CSU East Bay
Postdoctoral Scholar (2002-2003)Carol Hirschmugl, Professor, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Postdoctoral Fellow (1996-1997)