Researchers discovered how pure spin currents (also known as spin waves) can be efficiently and coherently transmitted through an electrically insulating antiferromagnetic material. The work represents a notable milestone in the use of antiferromagnetic materials for low-power spintronic devices at room temperature. Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 418
August 5, 2020
How Water Promotes Catalysis of Methane to Methanol
Researchers unraveled how water helps catalyze the conversion of methane, the main component of natural gas, into methanol, a liquid fuel. The work supports the efficient production of methanol and other useful chemicals and could help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released by the flaring and venting of methane. Read more »
2020 Shirley Award to Honor Miquel Salmeron
By taking surface studies from ultrahigh vacuum to near-ambient pressure, Miquel Salmeron’s work at the ALS has had deep impact on a broad range of scientific questions, revealing the chemical, electronic, and mechanical properties of surfaces and interfaces on the nanometer (and often atomic) scale. Read more »
COSMIC Probes Evolution of Single-Atom Platinum Catalyst
Researchers synthesized a single-atom platinum catalyst that outperformed, by a factor of 15, conventional platinum-based catalysts, which are used for fuel cells and automotive emissions control. Operando x-ray spectromicroscopy at the ALS’s COSMIC beamline revealed how electronic interactions affect the material’s morphology. Read more »
Artificial Antiferromagnets Facilitate Studies of Domain-Wall Motion
Researchers fabricated artificial spin lattices that undergo a paramagnetic-to-antiferromagnetic phase transition. These artificial antiferromagnets enable studies of dynamical properties that are critical to understanding, and ultimately implementing, real-world applications such as advanced computing and data-storage technologies. Read more »
Rotavirus VP3 Is a Multifunctional Capping Machine
Rotavirus, a major cause of infantile gastroenteritis, is responsible for the deaths of about 200,000 children per year. Although vaccines are available, the virus still circulates, and a fuller understanding of the viral structures is needed. Here, scientists investigate the structure and function of the last unsolved rotavirus structural protein. Read more »
Roland Koch, Research Scientist
Roland Koch first became fascinated with synchrotron work at BESSY in Germany. He has been at the ALS ever since he finished his PhD and is happy to teach others everything from getting more meaningful data to flying a plane. Read more »
September Proposal Call Canceled, COVID-19 Information
Because of the evolving COVID-19 situation and a shelter-in-place order for the Bay Area, the ALS is closed to most users until further notice. We have canceled the September 2020 call for proposals. Please do not register to arrive for the 2020-1 cycle unless we ask you to. Refer to our COVID-19 page for more information on beamtime scheduling and allocation. Read more »
Register for the 2020 User Meeting
For the first time, the ALS User Meeting will be held virtually—all the science you come for, from the comfort of your own home! Register for free by 7:00 PM (PDT) on Monday, August 24, to receive all the Zoom details. Read more »
Members of ALS Community Honored
Several members of the ALS community have recently been recognized for their work. Congratulations to Sihai Yang, Martin Schröder, Jeffrey Long, and James Holton! Read more »