Every year, thousands of scientists from hundreds of laboratories and institutions around the world use SLAC's unique facilities to perform cutting-edge research. Enabled by SLAC's world-class infrastructure and user facilities, the lab's user community is positioned at the forefront of discovery across a wide variety of fields including chemistry, biology, medicine, environmental science, engineering, materials science and physics.
SSRL provides synchrotron radiation—extremely bright X-rays produced by electrons circling in a storage ring at nearly the speed of light—to support the study of materials down to molecular and atomic scales. SSRL continues to expand its available beam lines and experimental techniques for users from universities, private industry, government labs and foreign institutions.
The LCLS will produce ultrafast pulses of X-rays millions of times brighter than even the most powerful synchrotron sources—pulses powerful enough to make images of single molecules. With its unprecedented pulse speed, this unique laser will work much like a high-speed camera, enabling scientists to take stop-motion pictures of atoms and molecules in motion. These characteristics will advance scientific frontiers that include discovering and probing new states of matter, understanding chemical reactions and shedding light on the fundamental processes of life. A suite of X-ray instruments will be built, each with unique capabilities, creating a diverse experimental landscape for probing ultrafast dynamics. Operation of the first LCLS experimental facilities is anticipated during 2009.
Users are encouraged to participate in SSRL, LCLS and/or SLAC user organizations to enhance their laboratory experience. Please see the following links for more detail:
