Science at NSLS-II

Advances in materials synthesis, manufacturing, and AI-guided experimentation are rapidly reshaping materials science, enabling more energy- and material-efficient, cost-effective production. Applications range from high-strength aerospace components to flexible biosensors and biocompatible scaffolds. Despite this progress, the fundamental mechanisms linking synthesis, processing, and material functionality remain only partly understood. NSLS-II is uniquely positioned to address these challenges through multimodal scattering, spectroscopy, and imaging enabled by its high-brightness X-ray source. Expanded in-situ (under realistic conditions) and operando (during active operation) capabilities, combined with automation and AI/ML-guided workflows, provide real-time insight into critical processes and accelerate discovery. Strategic priorities include expanding multimodal experimental capabilities, deploying a dedicated beamline for advanced materials processing, and strengthening partnerships with users and collaborators to advance materials design and manufacturing.

Quantum materials lie at the heart of condensed matter physics and emerging quantum technologies. Strong electronic correlations and spin-orbit coupling give rise to phenomena such as superconductivity, topological phases, and metal-insulator transitions. By tuning materials through doping, pressure, and external fields, researchers uncover complex phase diagrams and new physical behavior relevant to information science. NSLS-II provides powerful tools to probe electronic, magnetic, and structural properties at the atomic scale, including advanced spectroscopy and diffraction under extreme conditions. Strategic developments include expanded in-situ and operando capabilities, enhanced resonant scattering across broader X-ray energy ranges, and ultrafast pump-probe methods that allow researchers to observe how quantum materials respond to external stimuli in real time. Through these capabilities, and its participation in Brookhaven’s Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA), NSLS-II enables discoveries that advance both fundamental physics and quantum information science.

Catalysis underpins most industrial chemical production, yet key questions remain about how reaction intermediates interact with catalytic sites to control rates, selectivity, and efficiency. NSLS-II X-ray methods are uniquely suited to address these challenges, providing atomic-resolution characterization with elemental and chemical specificity under realistic operating conditions. By capturing interfacial and reaction processes in real time, NSLS-II enables critical insights that refine theoretical models and advance predictive capabilities in catalysis. Strategic efforts focus on expanding in-situ and operando spectroscopy and imaging, including X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES), Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS), and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS); integrating complementary analytical tools; and deploying automation, robotics, and remote-access workflows. Together, these capabilities allow researchers to track chemical transformations across relevant spatial, temporal, and energy scales and accelerate discovery in chemical science.

Life sciences at NSLS-II focus on understanding how proteins, enzymes, and molecular assemblies function, interact, and reorganize within cells across physiological states. While X-ray crystallography and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) have revealed atomic structures of many biomolecules, the next frontier is linking structure to cellular organization and dynamics. NSLS-II addresses this challenge through integrated structural biology methods at its AMX and FMX beamlines, advanced bioimaging capabilities, and close coupling with cryo-EM enabled by the Laboratory for BioMolecular Structure (LBMS). Correlative imaging, in-situ and ambient-condition measurements, and data-rich workflows enable four-dimensional insights into structure, function, and dynamics. Together, NSLS-II and LBMS empower multidisciplinary research from molecules to cells and tissues, advancing biology, bioenergy, and medicine.

Earth and planetary sciences at NSLS-II focus on understanding the chemical, structural, and biological processes that shape Earth’s surface, near-surface environments, and planetary materials. Research spans vast spatial and temporal scales—from nanometers to kilometers and from picoseconds to geologic timescales—with particular emphasis on elemental speciation, redox behavior, and biogeochemical cycling. NSLS-II’s multimodal synchrotron capabilities integrate spectroscopy, imaging, and microscopy across energy ranges and length scales, enabling insights into complex feedbacks, buffers, and tipping points in Earth systems. In planetary science, NSLS-II is developing non-destructive, in-situ techniques for high-resolution characterization of contained returned samples, such as those from Mars. Expanded multimodal, high-throughput, and in-situ capabilities will accelerate discovery across Earth and planetary sciences.

Accelerator science at NSLS-II drives the development of tools and capabilities that enable world-leading synchrotron research. Current studies focus on broadband hybrid feedback systems to stabilize beam orbit and X-ray trajectories, lattice optimization strategies, next-generation beam diagnostics, and alternative bunch patterns for advanced timing experiments. Research and development on longer insertion devices with shorter periods and higher magnetic fields, along with new front-end designs, will deliver higher brightness, flux, and coherence to support emerging beamline science. Looking forward, the proposed NSLS-II Upgrade (NSLS-IIU) aims to reduce horizontal emittance to 20 pm·rad, opening unprecedented opportunities for experiments that demand extreme brightness and coherent flux.

Data science is fundamental to every experiment at NSLS-II, enabling the acquisition, management, analysis, and interpretation of increasingly complex datasets. NSLS-II’s data infrastructure is built on Bluesky, an open-source platform developed at NSLS-II that has evolved into a global standard for experiment control and data management. Looking ahead, automation, robotics, and secure remote access will expand experimental reach, while AI and machine learning will guide beamline optimization, experiment planning, and real-time execution and analysis. Early demonstrations of autonomous, multimodal experiments using Bluesky Adaptive—a component of the Bluesky ecosystem designed to introduce adaptivity and intelligent decision-making into experimental workflows—illustrate the transformative potential of these approaches. Our strategy is the development of a facility-wide, multimodal data ecosystem that connects instruments, samples, and experiments through networked sensors and control systems, enabling autonomous workflows, streamlined sample lifecycle management, and accelerated discovery across all scientific domains.