Researchers directly observed the formation of highly oxygenated molecules—the elusive products of auto-oxidation reactions relevant to combustion and atmospheric chemistry. A better understanding of auto-oxidation mechanisms could lead to better engines, less air pollution, and improved climate models. Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 391
February 28, 2018
Tuning Magnetic Frustration in a Dipolar Trident Lattice
Researchers designed and fabricated a nanomagnet array in which competing (“frustrated”) magnetic interactions can be directly tuned. Frustrated interactions are key to a wide range of phenomena, from protein folding and magnetic memory to fundamental studies of emergent exotic states. Read more »
The Microstructure of a Parrotfish Tooth Contributes to Its Toughness
Parrotfish chew on coral, producing hundreds of pounds of sand each year. Mapping the microstructure of parrotfish teeth, scientists found bundles of crystals interwoven like chain mail. The results provide a blueprint for creating ultra-durable materials for mechanical components that undergo repetitive contact, movement, and abrasion. Read more »
Ingredients for Life Revealed in Meteorites
X-ray absorption spectroscopy and other techniques were used to measure the organic chemical components in a pair of meteorites that crashed to Earth in 1998. The study treads new ground in solar system history and asteroid geology, surfacing exciting possibilities for the existence of life elsewhere in Earth’s neighborhood. Read more »
Jeremy Coyne, Senior Business Manager
After 18 years working in various divisions at Berkeley Lab, Jeremy Coyne recently returned to the ALS, where his Lab career first started. Jeremy has taken on the role of senior business manager at the ALS, overseeing and managing the ALS Business Support Team and the division’s entire financial portfolio. Read more »
Next Online User Forum—March 1
Join the ALS Users’ Executive Committee, ALS staff, and the ALS-U project team for the next online user forum, Thursday, March 1 at 10 a.m. PT. The agenda will include a UEC welcome and updates, opportunities for magnetism, spintronics, and quantum materials research, and an update on COSMIC microscopy. Questions from the virtual audience are welcome. Read more »
March 2018 Call for General User Proposals
The User Office is accepting new General User Proposals (GUPs) from scientists who wish to conduct research at the ALS in the 2018-2 (August–December) cycle. The deadline for submissions is March 7, 2018. Applicants are reminded that they may request joint access to the Molecular Foundry, a nanoscience user facility at Berkeley Lab, to support their ALS activities. Read more »
ALS in the News (February 2018)
- In a first, tiny diamond anvils trigger chemical reactions by squeezing
- William Chueh wins the MRS 2018 Outstanding Young Investigator Award
- Using nature’s blueprint for sustainable indigo dyeing process
- Instagram takeover: UCSF Dentistry at Beamline 8.3.2
- Mars rocks
- The importance of the weak
- OHSU research provides new insight about antidepressants