The experimental techniques in use at the ALS fall into three broad categories: spectroscopy, microscopy/imaging, and scattering/diffraction. In addition, some techniques are capable of capturing changes over time. Click on a heading to learn more about these techniques at the ALS.
Spectroscopy
These techniques are used to study the energies of particles that are emitted or absorbed by samples that are exposed to the light-source beam and are commonly used to determine the characteristics of chemical bonding and electron motion.
Microscopy/Imaging
These techniques use the light-source beam to obtain pictures with fine spatial resolution of the samples under study and are used in diverse research areas such as cell biology, lithography, infrared microscopy, radiology, and x-ray tomography.
Scattering/Diffraction
These techniques make use of the patterns of light produced when x rays are deflected by the closely spaced lattice of atoms in solids and are commonly used to determine the structures of crystals and large molecules such as proteins.
