Synchrotron Radiation Light Sources
Descriptions of 12
experimental techniques conducted at these facilities.The National Synchrotron Light Source
(NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory,
commissioned in 1982, consists of two distinct electron storage rings. The x-ray storage ring is 170 meters in circumference and can accommodate 60 beamlines or experimental stations, and the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) storage ring can provide 25 additional beamlines around its circumference of 51 meters.
Synchrotron light from the x-ray ring is used to determine the atomic structure of materials using diffraction, absorption, and imaging techniques.
Experiments at the VUV ring help solve the atomic and electronic structure as well as the magnetic properties of a wide array of materials.
These data are fundamentally important to virtually all of the physical and life sciences as well as providing immensely useful information for practical applications.
The petroleum industry, for example, uses the NSLS to develop new catalysts for refining crude oil and making by-products like plastics.
The Stanford Synchrotron
Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) at the
Stanford
Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) was built in 1974 to take and use for synchrotron studies the intense x-ray beams from the SPEAR storage ring that was built for particle physics by the SLAC
laboratory. The facility is used by researchers from industry, government
laboratories, and universities. These include astronomers, biologists, chemical
engineers, chemists, electrical engineers, environmental scientists, geologists,
materials scientists, and physicists. A research program is conducted at SSRL with emphasis in both the
x-ray and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum. SSRL scientists are experts in
photoemission studies of high-temperature superconductors and in x-ray
scattering. The SPEAR 3 upgrade at SSRL provided major improvements that
increase the brightness of the ring for all experimental stations.
The Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
began operations in October 1993 as one of the world's brightest sources of high-quality, reliable vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV)
light and long-wavelength (soft) x-rays for probing the electronic and magnetic
structure of atoms, molecules, and solids, such as those for high-temperature
superconductors. The high brightness and coherence of the ALS light are particularly suited for soft x-ray imaging of
biological structures, environmental samples, polymers, magnetic nanostructures,
and other inhomogeneous materials. Other uses of the ALS include holography,
interferometry, and the study of molecules adsorbed on solid surfaces. The
pulsed nature of the ALS light offers special opportunities for time resolved
research, such as the dynamics of chemical reactions. Shorter wavelength x-rays
are also used at structural biology experimental stations for x-ray
crystallography and x-ray spectroscopy of proteins and other important
biological macromolecules. The ALS is a growing facility with a lengthening
portfolio of beamlines that has already been applied to make important
discoveries in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
The Advanced Photon Source
(APS) at Argonne National Laboratory is one
of only three third-generation, hard x-ray synchrotron radiation light sources
in the world. The 1,104-meter circumference facility—large enough to house a
baseball park in its center—includes 34 bending magnets and 34 insertion
devices, which generate a capacity of 68 beamlines for
experimental research. Instruments on these beamlines attract researchers to
study the structure and properties of materials in a variety of disciplines,
including condensed matter physics, materials sciences, chemistry, geosciences,
structural biology, medical imaging, and environmental sciences. The
high-quality, reliable x-ray beams at the APS have already brought about new
discoveries in materials structure.
The Linac Coherent Light
Source (LCLS) at the Stanford
Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) is a facility under construction that will provide laser-like radiation in the x-ray region of the spectrum that is 10 billion times greater in peak power and peak brightness than any existing coherent x-ray light source.
The SLAC linac will provide high-current, low-emittance 5–15 GeV electron bunches at a 120 Hz repetition rate. A newly constructed long undulator will bunch the electrons, leading to self-amplification of the emitted x-ray radiation, constituting the x-ray FEL.
The
National Synchrotron Light Source-II
(NSLS-II) is a project at Brookhaven National Laboratory
to design and build a world-class user facility for scientific
research using synchrotron radiation. The project scope includes the design,
construction, and installation of the accelerator hardware, civil construction,
and experimental facilities required to produce a new synchrotron light source.
It will be highly optimized to deliver ultra-high brightness and flux and
exceptional beam stability. These capabilities will enable the study of material
properties and functions down to a spatial resolution of 1nm, energy resolution
of 0.1meV, and with the ultra-high sensitivity necessary to perform spectroscopy
on a single atom.
High-Flux Neutron Sources
The
Spallation Neutron Source
(SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
is a next-generation short-pulse spallation
neutron source for neutron scattering that is significantly more powerful (by
about a factor of 10) than the best spallation neutron source now in existence.
The SNS consists of a linac-ring accelerator system that delivers short
(microsecond) proton pulses to a target/moderator system where neutrons are
produced by a process called spallation. The neutrons so produced are then used
for neutron scattering experiments. Specially designed scientific instruments
use these pulsed neutron beams for a wide variety of investigations. There is
initially one target station that can accommodate 24 instruments; the potential
exists for adding more instruments and a second target station later.
The
High Flux Isotope Reactor
(HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a
light-water cooled and moderated reactor that began full-power operations in
1966 at the design power level of 100 megawatts. Currently, HFIR operates at 85 megawatts to provide state-of-the-art facilities for neutron scattering, materials irradiation, and neutron activation analysis and is the world's leading source of elements heavier than plutonium for research, medicine, and industrial applications.
The neutron-scattering experiments at the reveal the structure and dynamics of a very wide range of materials. The neutron-scattering instruments installed on the four horizontal beam tubes are used in fundamental studies of materials of interest to solid-state physicists, chemists, biologists, polymer scientists, metallurgists, and colloid scientists.
Recently, a number of improvements at HFIR have increased its neutron scattering capabilities to
14 state-of-the-art neutron scattering instruments on the world’s brightest beams of steady-state neutrons. These upgrades include the installation of larger beam tubes and shutters, a high-performance liquid hydrogen cold source, and neutron scattering instrumentation.
The new installation of the cold source provides beams of cold neutrons for scattering research that are as bright as any in the world.
Use of these forefront instruments by researchers from universities, industries, and government laboratories are granted on the basis of scientific merit.
The Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center
(Lujan Center) at Los Alamos National Laboratory provides an intense pulsed source of neutrons to a variety of spectrometers for neutron scattering studies.
The Lujan Center features instruments for measurement of high-pressure and high-temperature samples, strain measurement, liquid studies, and texture measurement.
The facility has a long history and extensive experience in handling actinide samples.
A 30 Tesla magnet is also available for use with neutron scattering to study samples in high-magnetic fields.
The Lujan Center is part of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center
(LANSCE), which is comprised of a high-power 800-MeV proton linear accelerator, a proton storage ring, production targets to the Lujan Center and the Weapons Neutron Research facility, and a variety of associated experiment areas and spectrometers for national security research and civilian research.
Electron Beam
Microcharacterization Centers
The Electron Microscopy Center for
Materials Research (EMCMR) at Argonne National
Laboratory provides in-situ, high-voltage and intermediate voltage,
high-spatial resolution electron microscope capabilities for direct observation
of ion-solid interactions during irradiation of samples with high-energy ion
beams. The EMC employs both a tandem accelerator and an ion implanter in
conjunction with a transmission electron microscope for simultaneous ion
irradiation and electron beam microcharacterization. It is the only instrumentation of its type in the western
hemisphere. The unique combination of two ion accelerators and an electron
microscope permits direct, real-time, in-situ observation of the effects of ion
bombardment of materials and consequently attracts users from around the world.
Research at EMC includes microscopy based studies on high-temperature
superconducting materials, irradiation effects in metals and semiconductors,
phase transformations, and processing related structure and chemistry of
interfaces in thin films.
The National Center for Electron Microscopy
at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
provides instrumentation for high-resolution, electron-optical microcharacterization of atomic structure and
composition of metals, ceramics, semiconductors, superconductors, and magnetic
materials. This facility contains one of the highest resolution electron
microscopes in the U.S.
The Shared Research Equipment (SHaRE)
User Facility at Oak
Ridge National Laboratory makes available state-of-the-art electron beam microcharacterization facilities for collaboration with researchers from universities, industry and other government laboratories.
Most SHaRE projects seek correlations at the microscopic or atomic
scale between structure and properties in a wide range of metallic, ceramic, and other
structural materials. A diversity of research projects has been conducted, such as the
characterization of magnetic materials, catalysts, semiconductor device materials, high Tc
superconductors, and surface-modified polymers. Analytical services (service microscopy)
which can be purchased from commercial laboratories are not possible through SHaRE.
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
manages the SHaRE program.
Nanoscale
Science Research Centers
The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
(CNMS) at Oak
Ridge National Laboratory is a research center and user facility that integrates nanoscale science research with neutron science, synthesis science, and theory/modeling/simulation.
The building provides state-of-the-art clean rooms, general laboratories, wet and dry laboratories for sample preparation, fabrication and analysis.
Equipment to synthesize, manipulate, and characterize nanoscale materials and
structures is included.
The facility, which is collocated with the Spallation Neutron Source complex, houses over 100 research scientists and an additional 100 students and postdoctoral fellows.
The CNMS’s major scientific thrusts are in nano-dimensioned soft materials, complex nanophase materials systems, and the crosscutting areas of interfaces and reduced dimensionality that become scientifically critical on the nanoscale.
A major focus of the CNMS is to exploit ORNL’s unique capabilities in neutron scattering.
The Molecular Foundry
at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
(LBNL) makes use of existing LBNL facilities such as the Advanced Light Source, the National Center for Electron Microscopy, and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.
The facility provides laboratories for materials science, physics, chemistry, biology, and molecular biology.
State-of-the-art equipment includes clean rooms, controlled environmental rooms, scanning tunneling microscopes, atomic force microscopes, transmission electron microscope, fluorescence microscopes, mass spectrometers, DNA synthesizer and sequencer, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, ultrahigh vacuum scanning-probe microscopes, photo, uv, and e-beam lithography equipment, peptide synthesizer, advanced preparative and analytical chromatographic equipment, and cell culture facilities.
The Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies
(CINT) focuses on exploring the path from scientific discovery to the integration of nanostructures into the micro- and macro-worlds. This path involves experimental and theoretical exploration of behavior, understanding new performance regimes and concepts, testing designs, and integrating nanoscale materials and structures. CINT focus areas are nanophotonics and nanoelectronics, complex functional nanomaterials, nanomechanics, and the nanoscale/bio/microscale interfaces. CINT
is jointly administered by Los Alamos National Laboratory
(LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories.
This Center makes use of a wide range of specialized facilities including the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at LANL.
The Center for Functional
Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory focuses
on understanding the chemical and physical response of nanomaterials to make functional materials such as sensors, activators, and energy-conversion devices.
The facility uses existing facilities such as the National Synchrotron Light
Source and the Laser Electron Accelerator facility. It also provides clean rooms, general laboratories, and wet and dry laboratories for sample preparation, fabrication, and analysis.
Equipment includes that needed for laboratory and fabrication facilities for e-beam lithography, transmission electron microscopy, scanning probes and surface characterization, material synthesis and fabrication, and spectroscopy.
The Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory
focuses on research in advanced magnetic materials, complex oxides, nanophotonics,
and bio-inorganic hybrids. The facility uses existing facilities such as the Advanced Photon Source, the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source, and the Electron Microscopy Center.
An x-ray nanoprobe beam line at the Advanced Photon Source is run by the Center for
its users. The State of Illinois provided funding for construction of the building, which is appended to the Advanced Photon Source.
BES provides funding for clean rooms and specialized equipment as well as the
facility operations.
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