Active Projects - FY 2018
New LDRD Projects
Lead Scientist: David Chassin
This project seeks a control theoretic approach to the problem of modeling human behavior when individual human agents are acting as “in-the-loop” control elements in large-scale systems such as interconnected power grids. The goal is to improve system reliability by enhancing grid operator performance when responding to grid contingencies involving renewable energy intermittency, energy storage technologies and demand response resources.
Lead Scientist: Ryan Coffee
Machine learning (ML) is industry’s most powerful approach to digesting data and we believe it has the potential to maximize the information rate of LCLS-II and the scientific community at large. This project aims at building an interactive framework whereby users leverage their experience to construct data-driven algorithms and ML models for on-board data processing and compression.
Lead Scientist: Joe Duris
This project aims to develop a proof-of-principle machine learning optimization algorithm that can eventually form the base for future autonomous operation of LCLS-II. This effort will involve research into machine learning algorithms that can balance exploration vs. exploitation trade-offs, and can incorporate physical knowledge of the XFEL.
Lead Scientist: Frederico Fiuza
This project aims to develop a novel scientific direction on strong-field QED at the intersection of massively parallel computation, photon science, particle physics, plasma physics, and astrophysics that targets the unique scientific opportunities at LCLS-II and FACET-II. In particular, our goal in this project is to leverage the recent advances in QED-PIC algorithms to simulate strong-field QED processes in the collision of highly energetic electrons or gamma photons with high-intensity laser pulses for experimental configurations and parameters attainable at SLAC.
Lead Scientist: Harold Hwang
This project seeks to establish a research platform for developing functional complex oxide/aqueous interfaces using atomic-scale controlled epitaxial heterostructures, in order to atomistically design their photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties. The goal is to establish a flexible experimental and theoretical platform on which to develop new materials systems, controlled on the atomic scale, to enhance the efficiency of hydrogen generation using water and sunlight.
Lead Scientist: Alberto Lutman
The main benefit of the project will be enabling the Fresh-slice scheme at the LCLS-II. The developed tools will serve also as a solid basis for further development of Fresh-slice based schemes, such as multi-stage amplification. Fresh-slice is synergistic with currently funded projects such as XLEAP to produce sub-femtosecond two-color pulses. Tools to analyze the Fresh-slice based beams will aid current and future LCLS I/II users in interpreting the experimental data faster and more reliably.
Lead Scientist: Ritimukta Sarangi
This project aims to understand how bacterial dehalogenases convert environmentally toxic halogenated organic compounds to innocuous substances and to apply this knowledge to devise a bioremediation strategy for DOE heritage sites contaminated with these toxic substances. In parallel, this project aims to characterize and correlate model compounds capable of performing dehalogenation to better understand the molecular basis for catalysis.
Lead Scientist: Dimosthenis Sokaras
In this project, we will develop a high-repetition-rate laser-pump/X-ray-probe hard X-ray spectroscopy program at SSRL with a temporal resolution of 75 ps. By developing the capability at a beamline dedicated to high-resolution photon-out spectroscopies, we will establish a world-leading time-resolved beamline for X-ray emission, X-ray absorption and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy.
Lead Scientist: Tim van Driel
In this project, we will develop Impulsive Nuclear and X-ray Scattering (INXS) as a technique to study the dynamic properties of liquids at equilibrium and the necessary simulations to analyse them. Through an impulsive Raman excitation of vibrational modes the resulting anisotropic scattering signal can be used to study the intermediate structure factor, S(Q,t).
Lead Scientist: Paul Welander
This is a “discovery” research project aimed at optimizing and demonstrating a parallel-feed accelerator structure for superconducting radio frequency (SRF) applications. This novel approach to SRF acceleration is a potentially disruptive technology – not only does it represent a paradigm shift in how cavities are fabricated and powered, but it also yields much higher gradients and efficiencies compared to state-of-the-art SRF structures.
Lead Scientist: Thomas Wolf
We will study photoinduced dynamics in complex chemical systems at multiple atomic sites simultaneously by developing a high repetition rate ultrafast broadband soft X-ray source for transient absorption studies. These experiments aim to understand and control photo-physical processes from attosecond electron dynamics to photocatalysis.
