LSU lands $20M to unlock some of nature’s fastest secrets

LSU has secured a $20 million National Science Foundation award to build a cutting-edge X-ray facility that will give researchers an unprecedented look at some of nature’s fastest processes as they unfold.

The Laboratory for Next-Generation X-ray Science and Technology, or LaNeXT, will give researchers the ability to observe chemical, biological and materials processes at the atomic and molecular level in timeframes as short as 30 femtoseconds, or 30 quadrillionths of a second. 

The facility, which will be built alongside the existing Louisiana Light Source synchrotron and LSU’s nanofabrication capabilities, will make it possible to combine three powerful tools in one place: ultrafast laser-based X-rays, synchrotron X-rays and advanced sample fabrication. It is designed to fill a gap in U.S. research capabilities by allowing scientists to capture molecular changes that existing synchrotron facilities cannot observe, complementing major national facilities at Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley and SLAC. Built in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin and collaborators including UC Berkeley, LaNeXT will combine ultrafast laser-based X-rays, synchrotron X-rays and LSU’s nanofabrication capabilities in one location.

The technology will support research involving semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy chemistry, aerospace, automotive, defense and advanced materials. Researchers will be able to study semiconductor materials, catalysts involved in carbon dioxide conversion, rotating machinery components and advanced steels. 

LSU officials say LaNeXT could eventually contribute to more energy-efficient synchrotrons and potentially reduce operating costs for major U.S. facilities, with the source estimating potential federal electricity savings of up to $20 billion annually.