UC Davis physicist Chuck Fadley and his research group have puttogether the most sophisticated experimental setup ever assembledfor studying atoms on the surfaces of materials. The experimental "station" is linked to a machine that produces the world's brightest X-rays for scientific research. Fadley's experimental station will be on display at the Advanced Light Source during an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Members of Fadley's research group will be on hand to explain how X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and diffraction will be used to better understand and fabricate nanochips -- the next generation of computer chips that will be a thousand times smaller than today's microchips. Surface science has always been important to this technology, because most chemistry takes place on surfaces and at the interfaces where two surfaces meet. It becomes even more important for making nanochips and other nanometer-sized devices, which often have depths of only a few atoms. The new UC Davis/LBNL station, with photoelectron spectroscopy and diffraction, will permit unprecedented precision in nanostructure studies.