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How Wildfires Transform Soil Chemistry

X-ray microscopy tools at the ALS and SSRL mapped the chemical changes inside wildfire ash particles, revealing that pyrogenic iron and manganese gradually disappeared as the soil recovered. These findings shed light on how wildfires drive transient mineral formation that impacts micronutrient cycling and soil resilience, with implications for landscape recovery strategies. Read more »PPT-icon-35

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 »

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 »

ALS-United: Steve Rossi, Daniela Leitner, and Andrew Netto

ALS-United is an opportunity to meet the people collaborating at the Advanced Light Source and the ALS Upgrade Project. Hear firsthand how team science enables the cutting-edge research of today and builds the facility of the future. This month, we speak with Steve Rossi (ALS Deputy for Business Operations), Andrew Netto (ALS-U Deputy for Operations), and Daniela Leitner (Engineering Division Director). Read more »

2025 ALS-United New Year’s Message

Interim ALS Director, Andreas Scholl and Interim ALS-U Project Director Dimitri Argyriou usher in 2025 with a message for you on the ALS-U project and the priorities for the new year. Watch their conversation or access the full transcript. Read more »

ALS Statement on ALS-U Project Update

The ALS-U project recently made an extensive update to its project plan, resulting in a shift in the start of the one-year dark time from October 1, 2025, to June 22, 2026. The updated project schedule will allow the ALS to deliver more beamtime to users before the start of the dark time and further reduces the possibility that the ALS dark time will overlap with the APS’s ramp-up to full operations following their upgrade, currently in progress. Read more »

Major ALS-U Milestone: First Accumulator Ring Magnet Rafts Installed

The first magnet rafts of the accumulator ring (AR) have been installed. The AR will work together with the new storage ring to enable on-axis, swap-out injection of electron bunch trains, which is key to achieving ALS-U’s transformational high brightness. The ALS-U project team is installing and commissioning the AR before the one-year dark time that will focus on construction of the new storage ring. More to come about this significant milestone when we recap the summer shutdown!

Joint ALS/ALS-U Statement on Dark Time Delay

The ALS-U project recently made an extensive update to its project plan, resulting in a shift in the start of the one-year dark time from October 1, 2025, to June 22, 2026. The updated project schedule will allow the ALS to deliver more beamtime to users before the start of the dark time and further reduces the possibility that the ALS dark time will overlap with the APS’s ramp-up to full operations following their upgrade, currently in progress. Read more »

August 2023 Message from the UEC

UEC Chair Inna Vishik shares why this year’s User Meeting will be so special as well as some tips for making the most of the meeting. She also reminds users of town halls and other ways to understand and get involved with shaping the post-upgrade ALS. Read more »