Planning a New Era of Discovery with the Upgraded Advanced Light Source

The Advanced Light Source (ALS) synchrotron, operated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has been a crucial resource for scientists worldwide to study molecules and materials with atomic precision. Since its operational commencement in 1993, the ALS has served as the nation's leading facility for soft X-ray science and ultraviolet, infrared, and hard X-ray wavelengths.

It has contributed to over 18,000 publications, including five Nobel Prize-winning research, but has recently hit its performance limitations.

In response, a decade-long project is underway to upgrade the ALS, with a targeted completion date of 2029. The upgraded ALS will deliver more focused, 100-times brighter beams of soft X-rays. This will allow scientists to probe the chemical, magnetic, and electronic properties of samples with greater detail and precision, enhancing their ability to study changes in matter.

The upgrade holds significant potential across various fields. For instance, it will enable scientists at Berkeley Lab's Quantum Systems Accelerator to test potential materials for qubits – the fundamental unit of a quantum computer. The more coherent beams will also be used to examine the quantum properties of matter, deepening our understanding of how to design and realize functional quantum devices and technologies.

Previously, the ALS played a key role in the development of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, a technique for printing transistors onto semiconductor chips. Since its inception in the late 90s, EUV lithography has driven an explosion in microelectronics technology. The ALS and the Center for X-Ray Optics (CXRO) provided the synchrotron-based light and platforms necessary to understand and solve the physics challenges associated with EUV lithography.

The high brightness of the upgraded ALS will facilitate a next-generation platform called Hyper-NA EUV Lithography, advancing U.S. leadership in microelectronics manufacturing.

Moreover, the upgraded ALS will greatly benefit energy technologies. Its high spatial and temporal resolution will provide an unprecedented view of chemical and material reactions as they occur, aiding in the development of more efficient and resilient energy systems. For example, it will help scientists understand the precise details of catalytic reactions used to generate fuels and the structural changes of charged particles inside batteries, potentially leading to the development of new systems built from abundant materials.

The ALS upgrade also includes the installation of new hardware and software for X-ray crystallography, a crucial technique for elucidating atomic structures to understand biological functions, infectious diseases, cancer, and design therapeutics. A new crystallography sample production facility will further enhance the ALS's capabilities. These improvements will allow researchers to probe deeper into the inner workings of living organisms and accelerate drug development in the pharmaceutical industry.

Furthermore, the high-quality datasets generated during ALS experiments will serve as valuable resources for training AI models capable of predicting physical and chemical reactions. This will reduce the number of tests needed to confirm hypotheses or validate product designs. Additionally, the ALS's sample-handling robotics technology, combined with AI agents, can autonomously manage trial-and-error research projects, significantly accelerating the pace of discovery.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies, relies on its world-class scientific facilities for this purpose. The ALS upgrade will solidify the lab's position at the forefront of basic science research, fostering energy security, global technological leadership, and improved public health.