The ALS Upgrade (ALS-U) Project has received federal “CD-2” approval for its budget, schedule, and technical scope. The upgrade will boost the brightness of ALS soft x-ray beams at least a hundredfold. Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 426
April 28, 2021
A Properly Tailored Tail Boosts Solar-Cell Efficiency
With the help of structural insights from the ALS, researchers optimized the fit between organic and inorganic ions in a perovskite solar-cell material. The work increased the material’s power-conversion efficiency and stability and opens up a new avenue for improving the current-carrier dynamics of a promising class of materials. Read more »
Meteorites Reveal Magnetic Record of Protoplanet Churn
Researchers detected the signatures of ancient magnetic fields imprinted in the ferromagnetic grains of meteorites that originated from the same parent body. The results, combined with radioisotopic dating of the samples, support an extended time frame for the cooling of molten protoplanetary cores. Read more »
Graphene Outperforms Metal Junctions for 2D Semiconductors
Researchers found that graphene performs ten times better than metal in transmitting a photoinduced current across interfaces with 2D semiconductors. Nanoscale-resolution band-structure measurements provided a deeper understanding of charge transport in these systems and will help in engineering more efficient contacts. Read more »
Heath Kersell, Ambient-Pressure X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Postdoc
Heath Kersell became interested in science as a way to uncover the fundamental building blocks for technologies that improve people’s lives. As an ALS postdoc, he’s researching catalysis and putting together mentorship circles for his fellow postdocs. Read more »
Call for 2020 and 2021 Publications
All publications resulting from work done in whole, or in part, at the ALS must be recorded by the User Office for the Department of Energy (DOE). Please help ensure our records are complete by reporting your ALS publications, especially those published in 2020 and 2021. Read more »
April 2021 Message from the UEC
Johanna Nelson Weker, UEC chair, encourages users to attend the “Science enabled by ALS-U” seminar series to hear about research at light sources around the world and imagine the possibilities of future experiments. In addition, the UEC recently worked with other DOE light source user committees to share critical contributions with Congress. Read more »
New Poster Will Take You “Inside the ALS”
Peek under the dome for an overview of all the components that enable the ALS to produce extremely bright light ranging from infrared to x-rays. This poster includes images and explanations of ALS equipment from the heart of the accelerator to experimental endstations and how they all fit under our iconic dome. Read more »
In Memoriam: David Shirley, Former Laboratory Director
David Arthur Shirley, former director of Berkeley Lab and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, died on March 29, 2021, of age-related illness. Shirley was a pioneer of electron spectroscopy who spearheaded the creation of the ALS and helped motivate the construction of third-generation synchrotron radiation facilities in the U.S. and around the world. Read more »
ALS in the News (April 2021)
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- Synthesis method expands material possibilities
- A new method to generate and control orbital angular momentum beams
- To design truly compostable plastic, scientists take cues from nature
- Advanced Light Source Upgrade project achieves major milestone
- Researchers search for clues to COVID-19 treatment with help from synchrotron x-rays
- Stanford University study using Berkeley Lab device could lead to fast-charging batteries
- X-ray study recasts role of battery material from cathode to catalyst
- The spintronics technology revolution could be just a hopfion away
- Designing selective membranes for batteries using a drug discovery toolbox
- X-ray experiments, machine learning could trim years off battery R&D
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