DOE’s Genesis Mission awarded Phase II funding to Berkeley Lab’s Multi-Office Accelerator Team (MOAT) to expand its Super Intelligence assistant, first launched at the ALS, helping optimize our facility during ALS-U for thousands of researchers. Read more »
Deadline for General User Proposals is September 2
The User Office is accepting new General User Proposals (GUPs) and beamtime requests (BTRs) on existing GUPs. The deadline for submissions is September 2, 2026. Please read the upcoming schedule information closely and contact alsproposals.lbl.gov with any questions.
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The ALS-U Project Progresses with New Director
The Advanced Light Source Upgrade (ALS-U) project has received approval for a revised cost and schedule, targeting completion by late 2029. Greg Hays joins the team to steer the historic modernization project, which will increase soft X-ray brightness a hundredfold and enable AI-driven research in materials science, quantum computing, biology, and more. Read more »
Director’s Message on Beamtime in 2027
The ALS-U project plan has now been updated, and we have revised our proposal calls leading up to the dark time. Dark time remains on track to start no earlier than October 2027 (~22 months). With substantial user beamtime anticipated in 2027, we’ve added a new proposal call due September 2, 2026. Learn more about the details and contact alsproposals@lbl.gov with questions. Read more »
2026 Winter Shutdown Recap
The 2026 winter shutdown started on January 2, and the ALS returned to user operations on Tuesday, February 3. It was the shortest shutdown the ALS has had since 2018; as a result, the current user run will be the longest one since 2018. One big accomplishment of the recent shutdown was the installation of the “golden bellows” connecting the accumulator ring vacuum with the rest of the ALS vacuum system. Read more »
No Proposal Call This March for August–December 2026
Because the ALS will not offer user beamtime in the second half of 2026, we are not issuing a call for new General User proposals or beamtime requests this March. Please note that RAPIDD access proposals may be submitted at any time. We also anticipate offering a few months of user beamtime in the first half of 2027. 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 »
2025 Summer Shutdown Recap
The ALS returned to user operation in October after a lengthy shutdown. During the shutdown, a major milestone for ALS-U was accomplished: The mechanical installations of the accumulator ring and the booster-to-accumulator-ring transfer line were completed. Read more »
Changes to Proposals for January–July 2026
The ALS-U project is evaluating a potential schedule shift, including a shutdown for dark time starting summer 2026. Since an earlier dark time is possible, our goal is to ensure active proposals receive needed beamtime and make beamtime requests accessible when possible. Learn more about the September proposal cycle changes. For any questions, contact alsproposals@lbl.gov. Read more »
2025 Winter Shutdown Recap
After another busy shutdown, the ALS is in the process of returning to user operation later this week. The ALS-U accomplishments of the Winter 2025 shutdown include the accumulator ring installation sectors 1-11, seismic upgrades, ALS-U cable routing and electrical installation, RF infrastructure installation, and the booster bend power supply commissioning. In addition, the teams were able to complete several projects for the current ALS. Read more »