MRI: Acquisition of a femtosecond laser system for time-resolved studies using Arizona State University's (ASU) Compact X-ray Light Source (CXLS)

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An award is made to Arizona State University (ASU) to acquire a state-of-the-art Coherent Astrella, high power, ultrafast laser system (Astrella) that will be used to trigger dynamic processes in natural, engineered and quantum materials as imaged using ASU’s first-of-its-kind compact X-ray light source (CXLS). A postdoctoral associate will help integrate the Astrella laser with the CXLS providing a rich training opportunity using world-class tools (CXLS is a national laboratory-level tool at a university), interdisciplinary topics, and building diverse collaborations that may lead to high ranking publications and career networking. Undergraduate and graduate students from biology, chemistry, physics, data science, and engineering will play key roles during commissioning and laser-driven X-ray science experiments by assisting with accelerator and beamline engineering and maintenance, beamline configuration, sample preparation and delivery, data collection, data analysis and structural modeling.The capabilities of the Astrella-CXLS system will attract a large user community—primarily from the Southwestern US, but also leading experts across the world—including 33 users committed from eight domestic universities, two international universities (Spain, Germany) and one national lab. This will enable researchers to conduct cutting-edge experiments to 1) unravel the secrets of photosynthesis with important impacts in agriculture, forests, and oceans, as well as light-sensing in bacteria and human vision; 2) develop completely new science for human engineered proteins and synthetic catalysts, which have not been previously studied at national X-ray laser facilities, and will enable next generation technologies for converting solar energy to fuels; 3) initiate light-driven changes in novel quantum materials with the ultimate goal of manipulating superconductors and spin-based quantum computers. The potentially transformative results from the research enabled by the Astrella-CXLS system will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and at scientific meetings across a broad range of scientific fields, including biology, chemistry, quantum physics, materials science, and the earth and planetary sciences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.