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Hidden Rotational Symmetries in Magnetic Domain Patterns
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 While ubiquitous in nature, symmetry is not always evident. The first observation of hidden rotational symmetries in a magnetic system gives scientists a toolbox for discovering hidden symmetries in diverse material systems. Read more...
Contact: Keoki Seu
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Borrowing from Nature to Produce Highly Structured Biomimetic Materials
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Researchers have turned a benign virus into an engineering tool for assembling structures that mimic collagen, one of the most important structural proteins in nature. The process they developed could eventually be used to manufacture materials with tunable optical, biomedical, and mechanical properties. Read more...
Contact: Woojae Chung
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| Industry @ ALS: Wine, Water, and X-Ray Tomography |
Beginning in this issue, ALSNews will feature a monthly article focused on industrial users and their wide-ranging research projects at the ALS. Our first story features ALS user Andrew McElrone, whose research looks at the grapevine rootstock water transport physiology that is key to the future of California's grape-growing industry. His research at the ALS is funded by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service as well as by grants from the agricultural industry--most recently the Specialty Crops Research Initiative and the American Vineyard Foundation. His research partnerships include some companies with a big stake in the grape-growing industry, including Gallo, Sun-Maid, Welch's, Chateau Ste. Michelle, and J. Lohr. Read more... |
Ring Leader: Carolyn Larabell
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The National Center for X-ray Tomography (NCXT) soft x-ray microscope, Beamline 2.1, is now in its third year of operation. This was the world's first soft x-ray microscope to be designed specifically for biological and biomedical imaging, and as such has set the pace on developing this modality for imaging biological cells. NCXT Director Carolyn Larabell (at right in photo) provides an overview of the NCXT scientific program and details the unique capabilities of the microscope in this month's article.
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NUFO Chair, Users, SLAC Director Testify before Science Committee
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| New EPU Installed in Sector 6 Completes ARRA Project |
This week saw the successful installation of the latest elliptically polarizing undulator (EPU) at the ALS: a 35-mm-period device to complete the undulator pair at Sector 6. The new EPU will provide polarized soft x-rays for ALS Beamline 6.0.2, which will soon operate independently for the first time. For the last several years, Beamline 6.0.2 has shared the use of the in-vacuum insertion device (IVID)which will now be dedicated to the production of hard x-rays for ALS Beamline 6.0.1. With this addition, the ALS ARRA project is completed. After accelerator tuning is complete, it is expected that light will be introduced into the beamline starting August 1st. This will initiate a new facility for fast studies using soft x-rays, including femtosecond slicing.
Contact: Tony Warwick
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| ALS, lightsources.org at SRI 2012 |
All light source users and staff who are attending the 2012 Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation (SRI) Conference in Lyon (July 9-13) are invited to visit an exhibit being hosted by members of lightsources.org, the international collaboration of light source communicators. More than 30 facilities will be represented by posters that will feature each facility's capabilities, research opportunities, recent science highlights, and future plans.
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| Educational Outreach: From Superheroes to Synchrotrons |
ALS Beamline Scientist Kate Jenkins recently spent an afternoon discussing the scientific vailidity of The Avengers with 16- and 17-year-old high school students. It was all in the name of promoting science as cool, relevant, and something to consider as a future career. Jenkins visited with AP and college prep physics students at Albany High School as part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) program "Day with an Engineer." Read more...
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Events
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ALS Science Café, July 24 at Noon, User Support Building, R15-253
on the ALS Web site.
American Crystallographic Association (ACA2012)
July 28-August 1, 2012; Boston, MA
Low Energy Electrodynamics in Solids (LEES 2012)
July 22-27, 2012; Napa, CA
LEES 2012 will be a forum for the interdisciplinary discussion of the low-energy
electrodynamics of solids, at both the theoretical and experimental level.
 ALS User Meeting - Save the Date!
October 8-10, 2012; Berkeley Lab, CA
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| UEC Corner |
2012 ALS User Meeting Preview
The ALS User Meeting will be held October 8-10, 2012. The keynote speakers for this year's meeting are
For more information regarding the User Meeting program, including workshops, please contact the meeting co-chairs Peter Nico and Chris Cappa.
User Meeting Awards
Please consider nominating a colleague for an ALS User Meeting Award. The awards and the nominating process are described here. The nomination packages are due the first week in September. For more information, please contact the Awards Committee co-chairs, Adam Hitchcock and Yves Idzerda
Project Scientist Search
The Experimental Systems Group (ESG) offers an immediate opportunity for a synchrotron radiation experimental scientist to work in the area of micro-focused x-ray absorption spectroscopy. More details are available on Berkeley Lab's employment Web site.
Contact: Brandy Toner
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| Operations Update |
For the user runs from May 15 to June 11, 2012 the beam reliability [(time scheduled - time lost)/time scheduled)] was 96.9%. For this period, the mean time between failures (MTBF) was 22.8 hours, and the mean time to recovery (MTTR) was 49 minutes. There were no significant interruptions.
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| Announcements |
Lots of changes are happening in the ALS User Office. Read more...
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