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FYO7 SLAC S CIENCE AND T ECHNOLOGY S ELF E VALUATION
Macromolecular Crystallography: When Roger Kornberg began using synchrotron radiation for
his research on RNA polymerase around 1998, which led to his 2006 Nobel Prize, it was clear that a
large amount of crystal screening at SSRL was needed for the research to move significantly forward.
More efficient use of beam time accommodated this need. This was a decision with significant risk at
the time that resulted in a very significant pay-off.
Development of Research Using Circularly Polarized Radiation: SSRL is currently installing a
new beam line (BL13) to provide circularly polarized radiation for programs in chemical physics of
surfaces and liquids, the resonant coherent x-ray scattering and scanning tunneling microscopy of
magnetic films. These programs were being threatened by delays of over a year due to vendor
problems in quality control in producing the undulator for this beam line. However, we were able to
move and reconfigure an existing undulator from BL5 that also produces circularly polarized x-rays
although over a narrower energy range than what will ultimately be desired. It should be noted that
this undulator was originally developed in-house over 10 years ago. That decision, both risky and
innovative at the time, allowed us to get the research started early in FY07, well before the new beam
line was installed, by using part of BL5, and continue it without interruption on BL13 while the new
undulator is being completed.
Molecular Environmental and Interface Science (MEIS): SSRL continues to be a world leader in
the field of MEIS both by significantly contributing to the beginning of the field as well as
continuing to the present with a growing user community that takes advantage of existing beam lines
(such as BL11-2, 7-2, 10-2 and 2-3), new beam lines such as BL4-1 and a future beam line for nanofocusing
spectroscopy that will be proposed within the next year.
Development of Resonant Coherent X-ray Scattering: This is an area which has the potential for
high risk and high reward. Current developments include methods of imaging magnetic systems
using Fourier transform holography techniques as well as ways of improving the signal to noise of
this method using multiple scattering points. With the development of BL13, this facility will have a
permanent home and will continue to attract a broad international user community.
XAS for Structural Molecular Biology (SMB) and Material/Chemical Sciences: SSRL has a
world class XAS program that serves both an external and internal user community and receives high
marks in external peer reviews. The research quality depends on developments by SSRL staff in
beam line stability, sample environments and detector developments. These new capabilities are
continuing with the development of single crystal XAS that adds the capability of using the
polarization of the beam to highlight particular bonds and determine their structure.
Development of New Research Centers: SSRL has been the source of new developments in the
area of photon science at SLAC that have come to fruition in FY07. The X-ray Laboratory for
Advanced Materials (XLAM) now has its own section in this report. LCLS originated as a long term,
risky endeavor within SSRL and has resulted in the construction of the world’s first x-ray free
electron laser (XFEL). As a result of the attention being focused on the LCLS developments by the
SLAC staff, an idea for performing ultrafast research with x-rays using the SLAC linac was
developed by SSRL and SLAC accelerator staff and resulted in the SPPS which was very successful
in producing femtosecond level research. These results are listed in the Photon Ultrafast Laser
Science and Engineering (PULSE) Center report. The PULSE Center is also another SSRL spin-off
resulting from its work on the LCLS and Sub Picosecond Pulsed Source (SPPS). Plans are being
developed for a new Center for Energy and the Environment at SLAC that would focus on new
energy-related materials and processes, microbial-solid interactions, and the chemistry of interfacial
processes of relevance to molecular environmental science.
Outreach, Training and Planning for Future Research: SSRL provides training and outreach for
users through workshops held at the SSRL User meeting and throughout the year. Such workshops
include SMB workshops in spring and fall of 2007, and a hard x-ray scattering workshop in the
spring of 2007. Planning workshops were held to obtain user input for the development of new
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