Researchers showed that a vertical voltage reverses the direction of horizontal polarization of a Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin film. This coupled switching removes a key limit of conventional ferroelectrics and enables stable, low-voltage, high-density memory that could cut the energy use of electronics. Read more »
Dahlia An and Alyssa Brand Receive 2026 Tim Renner User Services Award
Dahlia An and Alyssa Brand were recognized for their collaborative approach that allows users to conduct complex science in a safe manner. Read more »
Greg Su Receives 2026 Early Career Award
Greg Su, a staff scientist at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), is the 2026 winner of the Early Career Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement at the ALS. His selection by members of the ALS Users’ Executive Committee (UEC) recognizes his transformative contributions to soft material characterization through pioneering developments in resonant X-ray spectroscopy and scattering at the ALS. Read more »
Strain Unlocks Unconventional Magnetism in Ruthenium Dioxide
Researchers saw signs of altermagnetism in thin, strained ruthenium dioxide, previously thought non-magnetic in bulk form. This finding revives the material as a candidate for spintronic devices that could be faster and more energy-efficient than today’s ferromagnet-based electronics. Read more »
Stacking Bits: Layer-Selective Skyrmions Point to 3D Memory
Using element-specific X-rays, researchers discovered skyrmions occupied only alternating layers in a synthetic antiferromagnet, not all layers as expected. The ability to control where and how skyrmion bits form within stacked layers offers a design strategy for 3D memory devices that store more data per volume. Read more »