Autonomous Beamlines: Harnessing Bayesian Optimization to Revolutionize Accelerator Science January 28, 2025 - Scientists at the Advanced Light Source are developing automated beam optimization systems, collaborating with other light sources to deploy common controls across facilities. Using machine learning, they demonstrated automated beamline alignment that optimizes beam size and flux at the push of a button. Read more »
Understanding the Role of Manganese in Fuel Production Catalysts January 22, 2025 - 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 »
Identification and Structural Characterization of Antibodies for Severe Malaria January 22, 2025 - 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 January 22, 2025 - 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.
Read more »
Not All Gaps Are Created Equal December 2, 2024 - 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 »
A Macromolecular Scaffold for Probing Actinium Chemistry November 25, 2024 - By encapsulating actinium atoms within a macromolecular complex for analysis using protein crystallography, researchers discovered that actinium has a unique solid-state bonding configuration. A better understanding of actinium behavior could help improve a promising cancer treatment known as targeted alpha therapy. Read more » 
Lattice-Dependent Spin Textures in High-Tc Superconductors November 25, 2024 - Researchers found that in bismuth-based cuprate superconductors, charge imbalances caused by lattice distortions generate persistent and universal patterns of spin polarization. The results supply a previously missing but essential ingredient in efforts to understand the mechanisms driving the electronic behavior of high-temperature superconductors. Read more » 
Excited States in CO2 Clusters Shed Light on Astrochemical Formation Mechanisms November 25, 2024 - A vacuum ultraviolet photoionization study conducted at the ALS revealed a new mechanism between molecules that converts high-energy ultraviolet light into free electrons. The results provide insights into interactions between CO2 and organic molecules, which are crucial for understanding astrochemical interactions as well as green chemistry and renewable energy development. Read more »
Magnetization Switching in Highly Magnetostrictive Microstructures October 22, 2024 - Researchers learned how the size, shape, and orientation of microstructures affect how they switch magnetization directions in response to an applied voltage. The work advances our understanding of strain-responsive composite materials for use in energy-efficient electronic applications such as memory devices, sensors, and actuators. Read more » 
Tracking Oxidation in “High-Entropy” Alloys with Multiple Principal Elements October 21, 2024 - For extreme applications such as nuclear fusion reactors and high-temperature jet engines, scientists are experimenting with “high-entropy” alloys that consist of many metals mixed together in equal proportions. In this work, researchers begin to unravel how these materials degrade under high-temperature oxidative environments. Read more »