Previous Editions__________________________________________________________________________SSRL Headlines Vol. 12, No. 3 - September 2011__________________________________________________________________________
Contents of this Issue:
I also look forward to Pat Dehmer's keynote, Scientific User Facilities: Their Importance in the National Research Strategy, which she will give at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday the 26th.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Users' Meeting!
—Chi-Chang Kao
Recently, a team of researchers from the University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute and Xradia Inc. used the transmission x-ray microscope at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource Beam Line 6-2 to develop a new method of obtaining nondestructive, high-resolution images of integrated circuits. Like a dot-matrix printer, the method raster-scans an integrated circuit chip with the x-ray beam, and then strings together hundreds of small images to create a full 2D image of the chip. Advanced algorithms then compile many such 2D images, each taken from a different angle, to create a full 3D image of the chip.
Such novel imaging methods enable the timely screening of integrated circuit chips and could be used to inspect chips for changes to the original design, be they malicious or accidental. This could be especially useful in critical applications including defense, medical and financial records, and aeronautics.
These imaging results were published in the Proceedings of the 36th GOMACTech Conference.
To learn more about this research see the
full scientific highlight.
The best way to catch a protein in all its many positions, they assert, is to analyze it at room temperature—an approach made easier by technological advances over the past decade at facilities including the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource and Advanced Light Source, where these studies took place.
Read more in the
SLAC News Center.
Nichol's team, which includes a Stanford neurosurgeon and stem cell expert, other medical doctors, and experts in stroke research and medical imaging, reflects the broad ambitions of this research: to give doctors a better understanding of what they’re seeing in MRI scans of stroke patients; to improve diagnosis and guide treatments; and maybe even to develop new ways to peer inside the living brain.
Read more in the
SLAC News Center.
Researchers are working on ways to tune the properties of graphene for specific electronic applications. One way to do that is by doping—introducing small amounts of other elements, such as nitrogen or phosphorus, that either add or subtract electrons from the system. Widely used in silicon technology, doping has been carried out experimentally in single-layer graphene sheets; but until now, the details of how the dopant atoms fit into the sheet and bond with their carbon neighbors remained elusive.
In a study reported August 9 in Science, researchers from Columbia University, Sejong University in Korea, and SLAC and Brookhaven national laboratories used a combination of four techniques to make the first detailed images of nitrogen-doped graphene film.
Read more in the
SLAC News Center.
Now a team led by researchers at Stanford and Harvard universities has developed a new organic semiconductor material that is among the speediest yet. The scientists also accelerated the development process by using a predictive approach that lopped many months—and could lop years—off the typical timeline.
Read more in the
SLAC News Center.
Dr. Hirotsugu (Hiro) Tsuruta, a senior scientist and biophysicist, passed away on August 25, in Japan. Hiro worked for more than 20 years in the Structural Molecular Biology Program, providing leadership for the build-up of the SSRL biological small-angle x-ray scattering research program and the Beam Line 4-2 facility that today serves a large user community. His contributions were numerous and he leaves an international legacy in this growing area of science, for which he pursued new developments until the end. He explicitly wanted bioSAXS at SSRL to continue to thrive, and SSRL is committed to ensure that this is the case. What he created will enable a new science to emerge far into the future. SSRL will organize an event to honor his contributions in early 2012, and information will follow when plans become available.
Annual Users' Conference, October 22-26. Plan to participate in the annual
SSRL/LCLS
Users' Meeting and Workshops, October 22-26, to learn about groundbreaking research results and new opportunities in energy and
materials, biology, chemistry, catalysis, and environmental science. The
event website includes information on
keynote and award talks,
workshops, the
poster session and lodging.
Early
registration ends October 10, so sign up today!
Vote for Users' Organization Executive Committee Membership.
Having a full and engaged Users' Organization committee is essential, particularly during times of growth and change. Please take a few minutes to cast your ballots between now and October 24 to fill open positions on the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource and Linac Coherent Light Source Users' Organization Executive Committees. The results will be announced during the Users' Meeting.
SLAC to Host November American Physical Society Meeting.
The California-Nevada Section of the American Physical Society will hold its 2011 annual meeting
at SLAC on Friday and Saturday, November 11-12. Plenary talks include Joachim Stöhr (SLAC) on the fascinating scientific opportunities with the Linac Coherent Light Source and Alessandra Lanzara (UCB) on recent developments in the area of superconductors. In addition, Nobel Laureate Burton Richter (SLAC) will speak on "Energy Policy Today" after the conference dinner.
This meeting also provides an opportunity for undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and others to present their research. Learn more and register on the
conference website.
Seismic Upgrade Project Completed.
The final phase of SSRL's most recent seismic upgrade project, funded in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, concluded this week. This project retrofitted the "old Beam Line 3 and 4" alcove walls, incidentally creating a high bay for a future undulator, and replaced the original roof blocks with properly reinforced precast blocks. The securing of the final half of the booster roof blocks to the walls was also completed. With the completion of this project, the SPEAR3 ring is completely retrofitted from Beam Line 5, through the West Pit, and up to Beam Line 1. In prior years, Building 120 and 131 were retrofitted. The portions of the SPEAR3 ring shielding that require future seismic upgrades include the tunnel at Beam Line 1, from Beam Line 2 to the East Pit, and from Beam Line 12 to Beam Line 5. We anticipate completing a substantial part of these remaining retrofits as we add new beam lines to several previously unused ports of SPEAR3.
Changes to Gate Hours.
Due to construction on the SLAC site, Gate 17 will open at 6:00 am on Saturday, October 1st and will remain open 24/7 until further notice. Gate 30 will be closed during the weekend and have restricted single lane access in the coming weeks due to road closures and altered traffic patterns. For more information, see
the full
announcement.
__________________________________________________________________________
SSRL Headlines is published electronically monthly to inform SSRL users,
sponsors and other interested people about happenings at SSRL. SSRL is a
national synchrotron user facility operated for the U.S.
Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences by Stanford
University. Additional support for
the structural biology program is provided by the DOE
Office of Biological and Environmental Research, the NIH
National Center for Research Resources and the NIH National Institute of General Medical
Sciences. Additional information about
SSRL and its operation and schedules is available from the SSRL website.
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