Berkeley Lab

Advanced Light Source Accelerator Physics

Two decades of constant improvement keep a user facility state-of-the-art

Since its 1991 commissioning as one of the bellwethers of the third generation of light sources, the ALS has undergone numerous enhancements. A major brightness upgrade and the introduction of “Top-off” injection are the latest enhancements that deliver photon beams of better quality and variety for the users. More >

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Center for Beam Physics

Highly collaborative and interdisciplinary, CBP is a central resource for theoretical and experimental innovation serving the accelerator community. Maximizing the science reach of proton accelerators at the frontiers of energy and intensity, and exploring x-ray free-electron lasers, are major themes of our research. CBP staff have wide-ranging expertise in accelerator theory and design, instrumentation, diagnostics, RF hardware, and experimental accelerator physics. An ever more important capability — synergistic with other LBNL strengths and widely useful to the accelerator community — is advanced simulation and modeling.

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FEL R&D and APEX: More Information

Many of the grand scientific challenges of the 21st century involve understanding and controlling matter and the flow of energy at the finest and therefore most fundamental relevant values of time (attoseconds), space (nanometers), and energy (milli-electron-volts). A prominent tool for addressing these questions is a source of coherent beams of x-rays made up of […]

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Fusion Science and NDCX-II

NDCX-II Our division has long been involved in the quest for inertial fusion energy (IFE) as a future power source, primarily through R&D on heavy-ion induction accelerators, an approach pioneered here. Today our program collaborates closely with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory on topics relevant to inertial fusion driven by […]

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Ion Beam Technology

Transformational Impact on the Needs of Science, Security, and Industry Plasma and Ion Source Technology Research that began in magnetic fusion energy and was then applied to accelerator-based high energy and nuclear physics has led to a wide range of applications. At the heart of many of them is a family of simple, reliable ion […]

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Superconducting Magnet Program: More Information

Taking on the toughest problems is the way to learn the most   Ever-stronger magnets (which must be cost-effective as well) are a key to building tomorrow’s high-energy accelerators and upgrading today’s. Our role — as not only a leading R&D group but also the administrators of Department of Energy’s multi-institutional National Conductor Development Program […]

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