Science Simplified: What Is an X-Ray Light Source?
What Is an X-Ray Light Source? To develop treatments to combat deadly infectious diseases, we need to understand the organisms that cause them. To design…
Advanced Photon Source News
The Advanced Photon Source (APS) is a national synchrotron-radiation light source facility located at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, USA. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the APS is one of the world’s most powerful sources of X-rays, which are generated by accelerating electrons to high speeds and directing them around a circular storage ring. This process produces extremely bright, focused beams of X-rays that can be used to study the structure and properties of materials at atomic and molecular levels. Researchers from around the world use the APS to conduct experiments in fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science, contributing to advancements in understanding materials for energy production, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, and much more. The facility plays a critical role in innovative research, aiding in the development of new materials and the exploration of the fundamental properties of existing ones.
Unlocking the Unimaginable: Revolutionary New Method for Materials Discovery
Researchers have discovered a method for creating new materials for use in batteries, magnets, and microelectronics. The most skilled artists can create a one-of-a-kind…
Reversing Paralysis: “Dancing Molecules” Can Fix Spinal Cord Injuries
Following a novel treatment developed with the help of the Advanced Photon Source, paralyzed mice can now “walk” once again. The Science Behind the Treatment…
Computer Chips That Imitate the Brain
A new microelectronics device can program and reprogram computer hardware on demand by using electrical pulses What if a computer could learn to rewire its…
Bacterial Enzyme Converts CO2 Into Carbon Compounds 20x Faster Than Photosynthesis
Researchers discover that a spot of molecular glue and a timely twist help a bacterial enzyme convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds 20 times faster…
A Surprising Structural Change in Metal Oxide at Low Temperature May Resolve a 60-Year-Old Mystery
Findings could help resolve a 60-year-old mystery and lead to applications in temperature-sensitive devices and energy-efficient systems. When water boils, it converts into another phase,…
New Method Allows Scientists To Synthesize Crystals in Ways Not Found in Nature
The new method of synthesizing crystals leads researchers to a brand new phase of metal, which may be useful for new technologies. Results were confirmed…
Advanced Photon Source Helps Pfizer Create COVID-19 Antiviral Treatment Paxlovid
Pfizer’s new antiviral drug, Paxlovid, has demonstrated promising results in clinical trials, achieving an 89% reduction in COVID-19-related severe outcomes. Developed with the help of…
Scientists Find Strange Black “Superionic Ice” That Could Exist Deep Inside Other Planets
Using the Advanced Photon Source, scientists have recreated the structure of ice formed at the center of planets like Neptune and Uranus. Everyone knows about…
Enzyme Structure Provides a Promising Pathway to New Cancer Treatments
Using Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source, researchers have determined the structure of an enzyme that plays a key role in the spread of cancer…
“Zinc Sparks” – A Biological Fireworks Show 300 Million Years in the Making
Scientists using the Advanced Photon Source show how ‘zinc sparks’ — the showers of zinc ions released by mammalian eggs immediately after fertilization — also…
How Llamas Wally and Winter Are Helping Scientists Find Effective COVID-19 Treatments
X-rays from Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source turn llama antibodies into potential therapies. While the world has welcomed the news of multiple vaccines against COVID-19, the…
Scientists Create Advanced, More Powerful Superconducting Magnet for Next Generation Light Sources
Magnet Designers Look to the Future of Light Sources With New Prototype After more than 15 years of work, scientists at three DOE national laboratories…
Powerful X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source Reveal 1,900-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy’s Secrets
Researchers used the powerful X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source to see the preserved remains of an ancient Egyptian girl without disturbing the linen wrappings….
Counterintuitive Superconductivity and Quantum Computing Breakthrough: Using Pressure to Make Liquid Magnetism
Using two flat-top diamonds and a lot of pressure, scientists have forced a magnetic crystal into a spin liquid state, which may lead to insights…
Researchers Show Imaging of Non-Reflection Domain Wall Structures
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science’s Advanced Photon Source (APS) and the High Pressure Synergetic Consortium (HPSynC) show the first imaging…