Advanced Light Source

Workshops and tutorials are under way at the 2025 #ALSUserMtg! Experts are sharing their experience, attendees are getting some hands-on practice, and everyone is getting a chance to chat. It's always great to see the ideas brewing.

Welcome to Day 1 of the 2025 #ALSUserMtg! Our plenary session today includes science and facility updates and award-winning science. Plus, the always energetic poster slam and poster session! Be sure to tag us in your photos. als.lbl.gov/user-meeting/
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov @lightsources.bsky.social

Catching “Hydrogen Spillover” onto a Catalytic Surface Researchers uncovered the precise mechanism of hydrogen spillover (H2 splitting and migration) onto a catalytic surface by watching it happen under various conditions. The research lays the foundation...

Researchers uncovered the precise mechanism of hydrogen spillover onto a catalytic surface by watching it happen under various conditions. The work lays the foundation for more efficient catalysts and next-generation hydrogen energy technologies. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/catching-hyd...

ALS-United: Don MacGill, Matt Warren, and Kyle McCombs 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 b...

ALS-United: we speak with Don MacGill (ALS Mechanical Technician Supervisor), Matt Warren (ALS Mechanical Technician Supervisor), and Kyle McCombs (ALS Mechanical Technology Group Lead). @berkeleylab.lbl.gov‬ als.lbl.gov/als-united-d...

We partnered with @BerkeleyLab colleagues from @lbnl_next and @molecularfndry to take James Logan High School students around the superconducting magnet assembly, @advlightsource, and Molecular Foundry facilities.

@ENERGY @DOEScience

Read more here

Undergraduate laboratory intern Lauren Blake and Banu Sankaran, a research scientist and Collaborative Crystallography program lead, load samples into the dewar at ALS beamline 8.2.2 to collect diffraction data for for 2024 Nobel laureate David Baker. (Credit: Roy Kaltschmidt/Berkeley Lab)

Learn how scientists within our #BioMBIB Division are leveraging the capabilities of @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's @als.lbl.gov to unravel the 3D structure of proteins, aiding cancer therapy development and the nation’s efforts to tackle emerging health threats. 👉 go.lbl.gov/ALSimpact

Bringing Discoveries to Light: Six Ways the Advanced Light Source Is Accelerating Technology Breakthroughs for Society For over 30 years, Berkeley Lab’s powerful source of X-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared light has helped researchers develop new materials and techniques for computing, energy technologies, cancer research, and more.

From better batteries to #quantum tech, our @als.lbl.gov is lighting the way to discovery. Dive into 6 breakthrough innovations powered by 30+ years of ALS science. 🧪 ⬇️

@biosci.lbl.gov
@molecularfoundry.lbl.gov

Experiment schematic showing the superlattice structure, with incident (circularly polarized) x-rays coming in at angle θ.

Researchers shed new light on interfacial ferromagnetism in superlattices of alternating magnetic layers. The work expands the scope of traditional interface studies and lays the groundwork for future innovations in magnetic storage and spintronics. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/a-deeper-loo...

Journal-cover illustration of a four-lane highway, with the two left lanes marked with diamonds (indicating high-occupancy vehicle or “carpool” lanes). The right two lanes are “congested” with gel-like blobs. Red dots (representing ions) are stuck between blobs in the two right lanes, but move unimpeded in the two left lanes.

In conductors where both electrons and ions carry charge, scientists created an "ion superhighway." Potential applications include battery charging, biosensing, soft robotics, and neuromorphic computing. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/building-a-g...

Cool work involving our SIBYLS beamline!

Ribbon diagram of a protein complex. The main protein structure is white, and the carrier protein (which passes amino acids to and from functional domains) is green. The carrier protein is shown at the beginning and end points of a 180° swing.

By locking down parts of a modular drug-building protein, researchers learned new details about how carrier proteins transfer the product protein between modules. The work could enable scientists to design and create new and improved medicines. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/deep-dive-in...

Vertical flow chart showing steps in lithium extraction from spodumene: grinding, mixing, heating, washing, evaporation. In the background, diffraction data is presented as a heatmap-style graph, with green vertical lines on a blue background. The green lines represent the spectral fingerprints of the primary reaction products.

Researchers developed a cheaper, more energy-efficient way to extract lithium from its source mineral, spodumene. The work supports the sustainable scaling of lithium production to meet growing market needs for hybrid and electric-vehicle batteries. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/energy-savin...

Big milestone at the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology @ ALS—10,000 protein structures solved and deposited by our users in the PDB! 🧬 Thanks to the #MBIB @biosci.lbl.gov team & 4.2.2 scientists who support our amazing users. From drug discovery to protein design, here’s to the next 10,000! ✨

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 b...

ALS-United: we speak with Steve Rossi (ALS Deputy for Business Operations), Daniela Leitner (Engineering Division Director, ALS-U System Lead for Removal & Installation), and Andrew Netto (ALS-U Deputy for Operations). @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/als-united-s...

Left: Photo of a lilac shrub with reddish buds. Right: 3D microtomographic visualization of a Ceanothus megacarpus leaf (green cube with section cut away). White arrows indicate stomata, which are found exclusively within crypts, or indentations, in the leaf. A 200 µm scale bar is included.

Some species of California lilac have developed an adaptation for arid climates: the stomatal crypt. Researchers characterized these crypts using microtomography, revealing how the crypts help plants survive drought. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/the-secret-t...

Drawing of an irregular three-dimensional surface draped over a sphere. It has a rainbow color scale, with blue at the edges and red at its peak (where it touches the top of the sphere).

Researchers found a way to reconstruct quantum geometric tensors (QGTs)—mathematical entities that encode how an electron’s wave function is shaped by its quantum environment. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov @mitofficial.bsky.social als.lbl.gov/mapping-the-...

A circlularly cropped headshot of a man in a blue collared shirt, overlaid on a view of the ALS dome and San Francisco Bay.

Since joining the ALS & ALS-U, #ALSRingleader Taimoor Hassan has applied his background in electrical safety, engineering, & RF systems. Learn more about the giant microwave he worked on previously, and how his experience serves the interconnected work of the ALS & ALS-U. als.lbl.gov/taimoor-hass...

The NPR Morning Edition recently interviewed Valentina Loconte about how #BioMBIB researchers used the @als-lbnl.bsky.social to help solve a research mystery - how a single-celled algae can fix nitrogen.

Learn more with this 4-minute listen:

www.npr.org/2025/03/13/n...

@berkeleylab.lbl.gov

Comparison of RIXS data for a commonly used commercial cathode material, with and without aluminum doping. A feature associated with oxygen redox reactions is only present with aluminum doping. Accompanying molecular schematics show how aluminum doping might produce the observed behavior via a more stable structure.

Researchers used soft x-ray resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the ALS to understand the role of aluminum doping in improving the stability of commercially used cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/reaction-mec...

Journal-cover illustration showing a conical beam of green light from above passing through a planar crystalline sample, with the beam’s focal point at the surface of the sample. Lightning-like bolts arc from above to the sample. To the right, a block of ordered blue atoms is topped by a sprinkling of gold particles, with a transparent layer on top. The transparent layer is in the process of detaching from the blue/gold substrate. A completely detached transparent layer floats above.

By directly visualizing the uneven insertion of lithium ions into electrodes with well-defined crystal orientations, researchers learned why fast charging decreases battery lifespan and performance. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/a-clearer-lo...

An artistic 3D illustration of neuromorphic computing, showing a close-up of a synapse (junction) between two “artificial neurons.” The neuron on the lower left contain a molecular crystal structure encased in a transparent material, and the one on the upper right has a dark surface printed with circuitry. Organic-looking neuron-like dendrites float in space around the artificial neurons.

Researchers used x-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the ALS to uncover the atomic-level mechanism of conductance switching for a neuromorphic material that has the potential for energy-efficient computing. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/mind-blowing...

Schematic of bright and dark electronic states.

Researchers used angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) @berkeleylab.lbl.gov to demonstrate the existence of dark-state electrons in solids, providing insights into complex phenomena in physics, such as high-temperature superconductivity and optoelectronics. als.lbl.gov/hide-and-see...

Left: Protein crystallography provided information about how actinium (magenta sphere, center) binds to a scaffold consisting of a synthetic molecule (magenta sticks) and a mammalian protein (gray surface). The structure when lanthanum (gray sphere and sticks) is substituted for actinium is shown for comparison. Right: Details of the interactions of the actinium with oxygen in the rings of the synthetic ligand.

Researchers @berkeleylab.lbl.gov encapsulated actinium within a macromolecular complex for analysis using protein crystallography and discovered that actinium has a unique solid-state bonding configuration. The work could help improve a promising cancer treatment. als.lbl.gov/a-macromolec...

Photo of a woman smiling, wearing green shirt, in front of green foliage.

The ALS was a major selling point when Whitney Loo chose where to pursue her PhD. Now that she runs her own research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she is maintaining her ties and giving back by serving on the ALS Users' Executive Committee. als.lbl.gov/whitney-loo-...

Schematic illustration of the proposed reaction mechanism on CoMnOx. Co atoms shown as pink spheres, Mn in purple, O in red, H in white, and C in gray. The size of curved blue arrows show qualitatively the value of the reaction rate for comparison on different catalysts.

Researchers uncovered the role of Mn in catalysts for fuel production. Opens the door to catalysts that could decrease production of harmful methane byproducts. @molecularfoundry.bsky.social @berkeleylab.lbl.gov @brookhavenlab.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social als.lbl.gov/understandin...

Ask me anything: Sophie Morley – 'Active listening is the key to establishing productive research collaborations with our scientific end-users' – Physics World As a staff scientist at the Advanced Light Source in the US, Sophie Morley helps visiting researchers to probe the fundamental properties of quantum materials

📡 Scientist spotlight: Sophie Morley champions team science at @berkeleylab.lbl.gov! As beamline scientist at 7.0.1.1 she's not just conducting impactful studies, she's bridging quantum researchers & engineers through active listening.
Full interview in Physics World: ttps://tinyurl.com/bdhznv5p

Left: A variant of the target domain for vaccines, CIDRα1.4 (light blue/yellow), in complex with a broadly reactive antibody, C7 (purple/maroon). Right: Superposition of the receptor protein, EPCR (gray surface), shows that C7 directly blocks the EPCR binding site (yellow helices), thus inhibiting the interaction responsible for severe malaria.

Researchers discovered two antibodies that can prevent the protein interactions responsible for severe malaria and elucidated their binding mechanism. These antibodies offer novel insights for vaccine design or targeted treatment. @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/identificati...

We're proud to have studied asteroids straight from space at ALS Beamline 5.3.2.2 and helped unlock the secrets of Asteroid Bennu! 🛰️

Full story:
newscenter.lbl.gov/2025/01/29/b...

@berkeleylab.lbl.gov

Berkeley Lab Helps Explore Mysteries of Asteroid Bennu The Advanced Light Source and Molecular Foundry provided powerful tools to study asteroid samples returned by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.

New asteroid analysis? That’s brine by us! Researchers found a tell-tale set of salts formed by evaporation that illuminate Bennu’s watery past.

Details ⬇️
newscenter.lbl.gov/2025/01/29/b...

@molecularfoundry.bsky.social
@als-lbnl.bsky.social
#Space
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Autonomous Beamlines: Harnessing Bayesian Optimization to Revolutionize Accelerator Science Scientists at the Advanced Light Source are developing automated beam optimization systems, collaborating with other light sources to deploy common controls across facilities. Using machine learning, ...

While we're new to BlueSky social, ALS scientist @antonymous.bsky.social & researchers from APS and NSLS-II have been using the Bluesky framework for clearer scientific horizons. Read how they're making science's forecast brighter in our latest article.
als.lbl.gov/autonomous-b...