The mission of SEES (Synchrotron Earth and Environmental Science) is to advance research and education in synchrotron-based Earth and environmental science to better understand our planet from the atmosphere to the core, to address societally relevant problems, and to train the next generation of scientists. SEES is responsible for the management, operation, and development of multiple user facilities hosted at four DOE-operated US synchrotrons: Advanced Photon Source (APS), Advanced Light Source (ALS), National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL).
2025 SEES-ISRD Joint Meeting
SEES and ISRD invite you to attend our annual meeting to be held jointly at the University of Chicago on August 11-13, 2025. Keynote speakers will discuss topics in rock and mineral deformation and rheological properties in Earth, and there will be a poster session with a broad scientific focus. All SEES and ISRD researchers are welcome and encouraged to attend. Click here to learn more.
Recent Publications
Unraveling the Complex Features of the Seismic Scatterersin the Mid‐Lower Mantle Through Phase Transition of (Al, H)‐Bearing Stishovite
Yu, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, L., Zhang, X., Wang, D., Mao, Z., et al. (2025). Unraveling the complex features of the seismic scatterers in the mid‐lower mantle through phase transition of (Al, H)‐bearing stishovite. Geophysical Research Letters, 52, e2024GL114146. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114146
Efficient up-conversion in CsPbBr3 nanocrystals via phonon-driven exciton-polaron formation
Abbas, A.S., Li, B.C., Schaller, R.D. et al. Efficient up-conversion in CsPbBr3 nanocrystals via phonon-driven exciton-polaron formation. Nat Commun 16, 5803 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60992-y
Near-room-temperature ferromagnetic ordering in the pressure-induced collapsed-tetragonal phase in SrCo2P2
Huyan, S., J. Schmidt, A. Valadkhani, H. Wang, Z. Li, A. Sapkota, J_L Petri et al. “Near-room-temperature ferromagnetic ordering in the pressure-induced collapsed-tetragonal phase in SrC o 2 P 2.” Physical Review B 112, no. 4 (2025): L041102
Structural mechanisms of pressure-induced isosymmetric second-order phase transitions
Zhong, Qifa, Jingui Xu, Dongzhou Zhang, Shanrong Zhang, Mengzeng Wu, Hailing Gu, Yi Zhou, and Dawei Fan. “Structural mechanisms of pressure-induced isosymmetric second-order phase transitions.” American Mineralogist 110, no. 7 (2025): 1072-1081.https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2024-9497
Hydrogen-rich hydrate at high pressures up to 104 GPa
Goncharov, Alexander F. and Bykova, Elena and Batyrev, Iskander and Bykov, Maxim and Edmund, Eric and Karandikar, Amol and Mohammad, Mahmood and Chariton, Stella and Prakapenka, Vitali and Glazyrin, Konstantin and Mezouar, Mohamed and Garbarino, Gaston and Wright, Jonatha, Hydrogen-rich hydrate at high pressures up to 104 GPa, Phys. Rev. Mater., 2025, 9 (7): 073601. […]
La3Pd2NaO9: A High-Valent Insulating Palladate
Yang, Qingqing, Ning Guo, Tieyan Chang, Zheng Guo, Xiaoli Wang, Chuanyan Fan, Chao Liu et al. “La3Pd2NaO9: A High-Valent Insulating Palladate.” Inorganic Chemistry (2025).
Science Highlights
The origin of vertebrate teeth and evolution of sensory exoskeletons
Haridy, Yara, Sam CP Norris, Matteo Fabbri, Karma Nanglu, Neelima Sharma, James F. Miller, Mark Rivers, Patrick La Riviere, Phillip Vargas, Javier Ortega-Hernandez, Neil H. Shubin, “The origin of vertebrate teeth and evolution of sensory exoskeletons.” Nature (2025): 1-6.
The origin of vertebrate teeth and evolution of sensory exoskeletons
Link to Article | Link to UChicago News Haridy, Y., Norris, S.C.P., Fabbri, M. et al. The origin of vertebrate teeth and evolution...
Deformation of Hydrous Phases Egg [AlSiO3(OH)], δ [AlO(OH)] and Stishovite [Si1-nH4nO2] Relevant to Anisotropy of the Earth’s Mantle
Kattemalavadi, A., Devoe, M., & Wenk, H.-R. (2025). Deformation of hydrous phases Egg [AlSiO3(OH)], δ [AlO(OH)] and stishovite...
The Viscosity of Albitic Melt at High Pressures andImplications for the Mobility of Crust‐Forming Magmas
Ashley, A. W., Mookherjee, M., Xu, M., Yu, T., Manthilake, G., & Wang, Y. (2025). The viscosity of albitic melt at high pressures and implications for the mobility of crust-forming magmas. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 130, e2024JB030527.
Structure of ice VII with Hirshfeld atom refinement
Gajda, R., Chodkiewicz, M., Zhang, D., Nguyen, P., Prakapenka, V. & Wozniak, K., Structure of ice VII with Hirshfeld atom refinement, (2025). IUCrJ, 12. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252525002581
Equilibrium Silicon Isotope Fractionation in Eclogites and Granites Constrained by Single Crystal X‐Ray Diffraction and the Force Constants Approach
Zhang, Dongzhou, Jingui Xu, Przemyslaw K. Dera, Bin Chen, and Ming Chen. “Equilibrium silicon isotope fractionation in eclogites and granites constrained by single crystal X‐ray diffraction and the force constants approach.” Geophysical Research Letters 52, no. 8 (2025): e2023GL107954.
Latest Happenings
Synchrotron Environmental Science (SES-2025) Symposium
The Synchrotron Environmental Science (SES) Symposium will be held at Stony Brook University from...
Upcoming APS/SEES School on CONUSS/PHOENIX
Webinar: Nuclear Resonant Spectroscopy at the APS
Nuclear Resonant Spectroscopy (NRS) takes advantage of low-energy nuclear resonances found in...
2025 SEES-ISRD Joint Meeting
Held jointly at the University of Chicago on August 11-13, 2025. Keynote speakers will discuss...