The Actinide Chemistry Group of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) with Norman M. Edelstein as the Group Leader the early 1990's began to utilize synchrotron radiation methodologies to investigate the electronic structure of and to determine the speciation of radionuclides. This primarily consisted of extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) experiments, both independent and collaborative, at the then Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL). These first studies included the investigation of actinide solution species and technetium materials that would later develop into more comprehensive efforts from LBNL directed at understanding a range of important topics in the chemistry and physics of f-element materials. At this time, there were successful efforts to establish beamlines that could support efficient studies of radioactive materials, first with a hard x-ray beamline at SSRL and followed shortly thereafter by a soft x-ray counterpart at the Advanced Light Source. Some of the results from these early studies coupled with those of others in the field will be discussed, and how the impact of these early studies have helped shape the contemporary landscape of actinide science to this point in time. The discoveries and developments made possible by the utility of synchrotron radiation in actinide science have in many ways been revolutionized the field and Norman Edelstein has been a large part of this in multiple ways - where would he want us to go now and into the future?

From small photons to big photons: Nearly two decades of actinide science in Berkeley with Norman Edelstein

247th National Meeting (2014)

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