CHESS has integrated a new operating mode that empowers researchers to capture processes on the nanosecond to microsecond timescale using 100 picosecond pulses of X-rays. At this scale, researchers can investigate swift processes in their experiments, such as crack formations racing across a material or proteins folding and unfolding – minute actions occurring in the blink of an eye.

We are happy to report that Cornell Facilities & Campus Services Project Manager Alex Chevallard has asked contractor Streeter and their subcontractors to provide all the finishing touches and polish to the new Wilson West building by the end of January 2024. At that time the beautiful new building will be ready for the start of installation of the new sector 5 X-ray beamline - also knowns as the High Magnetic Field (HMF) facility.

Wilson West houses a new large experimental hall to accommodate the upcoming High Magnetic Field X-ray Beamline.

What is the discovery?

The Materials Solutions Network at CHESS (MSN-C) was leveraged to map strains using non-destructive x-ray methods not available at other USAF, Department of Defense, or private sector facilities. The high-flux and high-energy x-rays only available at a synchrotron light source, such as CHESS, enable a critical combination of high penetrating power, spatial resolution and measurement speed. This highlight is just one example of how MSN-C is permitting new, systematic studies of structural materials.

What did the scientists accomplish?

Ando has dedicated her career to “seeing” atoms using high energy X-rays with a technique called diffuse scattering; imagine a pair of glasses that allow you to see atoms and molecules. These glasses not only let you see these molecules but also very specific ways molecules move.