General Lab Information

Xi Yang

Research Staff 6 Physics, Accelerator Physics, National Synchrotron Light Source II

Xi Yang

Brookhaven National Laboratory

National Synchrotron Light Source II
Bldg. 744
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000

Dr. X. Yang began her career at Fermilab as a postdoc in the field of lasers and accelerators. She received her Ph.D. in 2002 with the thesis focused on experiments with pulsed laser deposition of thin films and characterization of their ferroelectricity using a novel optical technique. In 2007, she joined Brookhaven National Laboratory and contributed to experimental programs on high-brightness injectors and FELs at Source Development Laboratory (SDL) and the Booster at National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). She becomes an expert in the dynamics of seeded FELs at saturation and beyond superradiance, short pulse seeding with tunable wavelength, and accelerator optimization.

Since 2007, Dr. Yang provides scientific support for operations of NSLS and NSLS-II. She was also working on the seeded FEL project at SDL. Her contribution to the optimization of the NSLS Booster extraction resulted in a tripled injection efficiency of Booster-to-Xray ring, she received a Spotlight award for this work. She contributed to the experimental demonstrations of efficiency and spectrum enhancement in a tapered free-electron laser amplifier and tunable few-cycle and multi-cycle coherent Terahertz radiation from relativistic electrons where she gained the interdisciplinary expertise of laser and accelerator.

In 2018-2023, she has been a lead accelerator physicist in three LDRD projects of ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy, where she becomes an expert in the field.

Dr. X. Yang published more than 100 papers in refereed journals including high-impact ones and in conference proceedings. She gave talks on IPAC and FEL international conferences. She is a reviewer of PRAB, TNS, APL, and other scientific journals. Dr. Yang is a member of BNL Laser Safety Committee.  She served in numerous reviews for SBIR Phase-I and Phase-II proposals and as a panelist of the DOE Office of Science Accelerator Stewardship and Accelerator Development Comparative Review Panel. Dr. Yang has received two Spotlight awards for her achievements at NSLS and NSLS-II.

Expertise | Education | Appointments | Publications


Expertise

Accelerator physics

Laser physics

Free electron laser

MeV-UED/UEM

Education

Ph.D., Physics, University of Houston

B.S. and M.S., Optical Instrumentation & Engineering, Zhejiang University

Professional Appointments

2014-2025, Scientist, Photon Sciences/NSLS-II, BNL

2007-2014, Physicist, Photon Sciences/NSLS, BNL

2002-2007, Postdoc, Accelerator Division, FermiLab

Selected Publications

  • Chou AS, Wester W, Baumbaugh A, et al (2008) Search for Axionlike Particles Using a Variable-Baseline Photon-Regeneration Technique. Physical Review Letters 100:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.100.080402
  • Chou AS, Wester W, Baumbaugh A, et al (2009) Search for Chameleon Particles Using a Photon-Regeneration Technique. Physical Review Letters 102:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.102.030402
  • Yang X, Tsang T, Rao T, et al (2009) Electron bunch length monitors using spatially encoded electro-optical technique in an orthogonal configuration. Applied Physics Letters 95:. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3266919
  • Wang XJ, Freund HP, Harder D, et al (2009) Efficiency and Spectrum Enhancement in a Tapered Free-Electron Laser Amplifier. Physical Review Letters 103:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.103.154801
  • Shen Y, Yang X, Carr GL, et al (2011) Tunable Few-Cycle and Multicycle Coherent Terahertz Radiation from Relativistic Electrons. Physical Review Letters 107:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.107.204801
  • Yang X, Shen Y, Podobedov B, et al (2012) Experimental demonstration of a slippage-dominant free-electron laser amplifier. Physical Review E 85:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.85.026404
  • Yang X, Shvyd'ko Y (2013) Maximizing spectral flux from self-seeding hard x-ray free electron lasers. Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators and Beams 16:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevstab.16.120701
  • Yang X, Smaluk V, Yu LH, et al (2017) Fast and precise technique for magnet lattice correction via sine-wave excitation of fast correctors. Physical Review Accelerators and Beams 20:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevaccelbeams.20.054001
  • Yang X, Yu L, Smaluk V, et al (2019) A compact tunable quadrupole lens for brighter and sharper ultra-fast electron diffraction imaging. Scientific Reports 9:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39208-z
  • Yang X, Li J, Fedurin M, et al (2019) A novel nondestructive diagnostic method for mega-electron-volt ultrafast electron diffraction. Scientific Reports 9:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53824-9
  • Yang X, Mirian N, Giannessi L (2020) Postsaturation dynamics and superluminal propagation of a superradiant spike in a free-electron laser amplifier. Physical Review Accelerators and Beams 23:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevaccelbeams.23.010703
  • Yang X, Wan W, Wu L, et al (2020) Toward monochromated sub-nanometer UEM and femtosecond UED. Scientific Reports 10:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73168-z
  • Zhang Z, Yang X, Huang X, et al (2021) Accurate prediction of mega-electron-volt electron beam properties from UED using machine learning. Scientific Reports 11:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93341-2
  • Mirian NS, Di Fraia M, Spampinati S, et al (2021) Generation and measurement of intense few-femtosecond superradiant extreme-ultraviolet free-electron laser pulses. Nature Photonics 15:523–529. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-021-00815-w
  • Yang X, Penn G, Yu LH, et al (2022) Optimization of echo-enabled harmonic generation toward coherent EUV and soft X-ray free-electron laser at NSLS-II. Scientific Reports 12:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13702-3
  • Yang X, Yu LH, Smaluk V, et al (2022) Interferometric bunch length measurements of 3 MeV picocoulomb electron beams. Journal of Applied Physics 131:. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0076593
  • Yang X, Penn G, Yu LH, et al (2023) Twin-pulse seeding enables pump-probe capabilities in the EUV to soft X-ray spectrum at synchrotron light sources. Scientific Reports 13:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32496-6
  • Huang X, Yang X (2023) Correction of storage ring optics with an improved closed-orbit modulation method. Physical Review Accelerators and Beams 26:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevaccelbeams.26.052802
  • Yang X, Yu LH, Smaluk V, et al (2023) Toward a fully coherent tender and hard X-ray free-electron laser via cascaded EEHG in fourth-generation synchrotron light sources. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 30:861–875. https://doi.org/10.1107/s1600577523006586
  • Yang X, Wang L, Maxson J, et al (2024) Towards Construction of a Novel Nanometer-Resolution MeV-STEM for Imaging Thick Frozen Biological Samples. Photonics 11:252. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11030252
  • Yang X, Wang L, Smaluk V, Shaftan T (2024) Optimize Electron Beam Energy toward In Situ Imaging of Thick Frozen Bio-Samples with Nanometer Resolution Using MeV-STEM. Nanomaterials 14:803. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14090803
  • Yang X, Yu L, Smaluk V, Shaftan T (2024) High Harmonic Generation Seeding Echo-Enabled Harmonic Generation toward a Storage Ring-Based Tender and Hard X-ray-Free Electron Laser. Instruments 8:35. https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments8020035
  • Yang X, Huang X, Hidaka Y, et al (2024) Implementing nonlinear optics from Off-Energy closed orbit at NSLS-II. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 1068:169743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2024.169743
  • Yang X, Wang L, Smaluk V, et al (2024) Simulation Study of High-Precision Characterization of MeV Electron Interactions for Advanced Nano-Imaging of Thick Biological Samples and Microchips. Nanomaterials 14:1797. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14221797
  • Yang X, Smaluk V, Shaftan T, Wang L (2025) Enhanced Monte Carlo Simulations for Electron Energy Loss Mitigation in Real-Space Nanoimaging of Thick Biological Samples and Microchips. Electronics 14:469. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14030469
  • Seletskiy S, Podobedov B, Shen Y, Yang X (2013) Seeding, Controlling, and Benefiting from the Microbunching Instability. Physical Review Letters 111:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.111.034803
  • Yang X, Huang X (2016) A method for simultaneous linear optics and coupling correction for storage rings with turn-by-turn beam position monitor data. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 828:97–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2016.05.020
  • Muller EM, Smedley J, Bohon J, et al (2012) Transmission-mode diamond white-beam position monitor at NSLS. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 19:381–387. https://doi.org/10.1107/s0909049512005043
  • Zhang Z, Yang X, Huang X, et al (2022) Toward fully automated UED operation using two-stage machine learning model. Scientific Reports 12:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08260-7
  • Yang X, Aspelmeyer M, Wood LT, Miller JH (2002) Diffraction from tunable periodic structures II Experimental observation of electric field–induced diffraction peaks. Applied Optics 41:5845. https://doi.org/10.1364/ao.41.005845
  • Yang X, Wood LT, Miller JH, Strikovski M (2002) Strain-electric field hysteresis measurement in a Pb0.65Ba0.35Nb2O6 thin film using optical reflection. Journal of Applied Physics 92:1168–1170. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1489709
  • Yang X, Wood LT, Miller JH (2002) Electric-field imaging using optical techniques. Journal of Applied Physics 92:3279–3282. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1503386
Xi Yang

Brookhaven National Laboratory

National Synchrotron Light Source II
Bldg. 744
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000