Where the Beam Points Next: Autonomous Experiments Take Shape at CHESS

Where the Beam Points Next: Autonomous Experiments Take Shape at CHESS

August 25th, 2026.
Cornell Chronicle.

An X-ray experiment at Cornell recently did something unusual: It decided for itself where to take its next measurement.

In a demonstration led by researchers at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the University of Tennessee and the University of Utah, data collected at a CHESS beamline were analyzed in real time at ORNL (800 miles away in Tennessee) and new measurement instructions were automatically sent back to the instrument on the Cornell campus. The process repeated continuously until the experiment was complete, marking a significant step toward synchrotron experiments that adapt as they run, make more efficient use of valuable beamtime and accelerate scientific discovery…

Read more on the Cornell Chronicle: Here