Illustration of the XPCS experiments. The translation and rotation of the particles within the scattering volume leads to variation of the speckle patterns shown on the right. While the grainy, noise-like texture makes these images appear visually similar, the MTECS algorithm is able to detect and analyze tiny variations between patterns.
Staff scientist Jurek Sadowski (left) and postdoc Zhongwei Dai at the Quantum Material Press (QPress) facility at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The large circular piece is the central QPress robot, with various modules attached on the sides for sample annealing, film deposition, plasma cleaning, and sample libraries. The full QPress system, still under development, will automate the stacking of 2-D materials into layered structures with exotic properties for quantum applications.