What is TIMES?


TIMES Structure

The Theory Institute for Materials and Energy Spectroscopies (TIMES) is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, also with activities at the University of Washington and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The primary objective of TIMES is to incubate and develop advanced theories and numerical algorithms, and perform the associated simulations for addressing cutting-edge problems in materials and energy sciences at advanced and next-generation photon facilities. TIMES focuses on three key research efforts centered on the creation and curation of modern codes and simulations for spectropscopy of novel materials.

Developing robust and flexible toolsets for spectroscopies, capable of simulating a suite of measurements under present and future conditions at next generation synchrotron and neutron sources.

Developing and exploiting basic methodologies and algorithms to address non-equilibrium x-ray spectroscopies under present and future conditions at LCLS and LCLS-II.

Linking state-of-the-art applied math methods to computational algorithms for spectroscopy.

TIMES researchers are engaged in a set of interconnected activities.

  (i) Creation of a local collaborative environment to exploit the synergy between theorists, beamline scientists and experimentalists, and computational scientists, seeding and expanding efforts as appropriate.

 (ii) Development of new theoretical paradigms and the extension of current models to provide a robust predictive basis for interpreting and fully exploiting spectroscopic data, including time-resolved and out-of-equilibrium experiments.

(iii) Creation of a repository for a portfolio of advanced codes for broader dissemination to the photon science community to predict and interpret experimental results from synchrotron, FEL, neutron, and other sources.

While the worldwide scope of synchrotron radiation research is very large and multi-faceted, such that no single center can serve all needs, TIMES focuses primarily on the capabilities and facilities proximate to Stanford University, including SSRL and LCLS, with a strong coupling to LBNL and CAMERA. Nevertheless, the theoretical understanding nurtured benefits a much broader community. TIMES cooperates strongly with with other centers and virtual networks, e.g. the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF). TIMES provides a hub for the next-generation of theoretical understanding and interpretation of many photon spectroscopies, enabling breakthrough solutions that shorten the pathways to discovery.


Software Downloads


TIMES Lectures (Videos)


Recent Publications

Upcoming/Recent Events

  • ALS User Meeting
    October 2-4, 2018
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA, USA
  • 2018 SSRL/LCLS Users' Meeting
    September 25-28, 2018
    SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park CA, USA
  • M2S 2018
    August 19-24, 2018
    Beijing, China
  • CCP2018
    July 29 - August 2, 2018
    University of California - Davis, Davis CA, USA

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