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The Advanced Photon Source (APS)
is a national synchrotron x-ray research facility external link funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The APS provides the brightest x-ray beams in the Western Hemisphere to more than 5,000 scientists worldwide.

  • Learn: about x-ray research
  • Start: become an APS user
  • Work: resources for users

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Secrets of the Lacewing’s Silk

Secrets of the Lacewing’s Silk

November 2, 2009

Scientists have completed studies that confirm the elegant and unique structure of the silken egg stalk of the green lacewing (Chrysopidae), thanks to high-brightness x-rays from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source at Argonne. The information they obtained suggests that lacewing silk has both reasonable tensile strength and very high extensibility and may have potential value as a biomaterial.
The Structure of the Cell Nucleus “Gatekeeper”

The Structure of the Cell Nucleus “Gatekeeper”

October 27, 2009

Biologists using an x-ray beamline at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source at Argonne have worked out a rudimentary architectural plan for the nuclear pore complex, the gatekeeper of the cell's nucleus. Their finding reveals a remarkable evolutionary story dating back more than one billion years.
The Power of Proteins: Prion Diseases Demystified

The Power of Proteins: Prion Diseases Demystified

October 16, 2009

It is hard to believe that a single protein can be responsible for the damage inflicted by diseases such as Mad Cow Disease. Yet the implicated protein, known as a prion, can initiate and propagate a disease cycle just by changing its shape. Researchers using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source at Argonne have achieved a significant advance in our understanding of the infectious power of the prion protein.
Bacterium Helps in the Formation of Gold

Bacterium Helps in the Formation of Gold

October 13, 2009

Scientists using two U.S. Department of Energy x-ray light sources and a sister facility in France have found that the bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans catalyses the biomineralisation of gold by transforming toxic gold compounds to their metallic form using active cellular mechanism, the first direct evidence that bacteria are actively involved in the cycling of rare and precious metals.
Creating a Precise Atomic-Scale Map of Quantum Dots

Creating a Precise Atomic-Scale Map of Quantum Dots

October 9, 2009

With a big assist from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source at Argonne, physicists have created an atomic-scale map of quantum dots with unprecedented precision, a major step toward the goal of producing “designer dots” that can be tailored for specific applications.

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ICALEPCS Lifetime Achievement Award to Martin Kraimer

ICALEPCS Lifetime Achievement Award to Martin Kraimer

October 28, 2009

Martin R. Kraimer, formerly of the Controls Group in the Argonne APS Engineering Support Division, is one of three recipients of the first Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the ICALEPCS International Scientific Advisory Committee.
2009 Chemistry Nobel to APS Users

2009 Chemistry Nobel to APS Users

October 7, 2009

All three recipients of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry published papers on their award-winning work based on data collected at the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory.

Annual Report

Annual Report

APS Science 2008, featuring articles on Advanced Photon Source research and engineering highlights, is now available.