Abstract: MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden, hosts the world’s first fourth-generation synchrotron storage ring, based on a pioneering multi-bend achromat design. Since its inauguration in 2016, the facility has developed a broad experimental programme spanning fundamental and applied research. Following a brief introduction to MAX IV, this presentation will highlight selected scientific achievements relevant to functional materials, energy technologies and condensed-matter physics.

Examples will illustrate how complementary X-ray methods reveal electronic states, chemical heterogeneity and nanoscale structure, and how these properties evolve during material function. Particular attention will be given to coherent imaging of functional materials and time-resolved spectroscopy of catalytic processes. Together, these approaches help connect microscopic mechanisms with macroscopic performance and demonstrate the growing possibilities for studying materials in situ and operando.

The presentation will conclude with an outlook on MAX 4U, the planned upgrade of the 3 GeV storage ring targeting an emittance below 75 pm·rad. Together with developments in beamlines, optics, detectors and sample environments, the increased brightness and coherence will extend opportunities to investigate smaller structures, follow faster processes and study increasingly complex materials under realistic conditions.

About the Speaker: Prof. Olof Karis is the Director of the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden, a role he has held since July 2023, following his service as Interim Director from March 2022 to June 2023. Prior to joining MAX IV, he was Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University from 2015 to 2022, where he was appointed Professor of Physics in 2011. His research focuses on electronic structure and ultrafast phenomena in magnetic materials. His group has developed instrumentation to study magnetisation dynamics using extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation generated through high harmonic generation.

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