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April 29, 2022
News Feature
How a soil microbe could rev up artificial photosynthesis
Researchers discover that a spot of molecular glue and a timely twist help a bacterial enzyme convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds 20 times faster than plant enzymes do during photosynthesis. The results stand to accelerate progress toward converting carbon dioxide into a variety of products.
An illustration shows the pocket in an enzyme called ECR where the carbon fixing reaction takes place.
March 9, 2022
News Feature
In a first, researchers image the full structure of trapped excitons
It’s a significant step in understanding these whirling quasiparticles and putting them to work in future semiconductor technologies.
A beam of light hits a semiconductor material, ejecting an electron (blue) which goes on to partner with a hole (orange) to form a whirling compound particle, the exciton.
March 7, 2022
News Feature
Q&A: From particle beams to cancer treatment – fundamental research that affects everyday life
SLAC’s Matt Garrett and Susan Simpkins talk about tech transfer that brings innovations from the national lab to the people, including advances for medical devices and self-driving vehicles.
Tech Transfer
February 28, 2022
News Feature
GISMo lab's innovative plan to make electricity cheaper, greener and more reliable
A cellphone-sized device automatically adjusts a home's power use up or down to save the consumer money and increase the resiliency of the electric grid.
Aerial image of workers installing solar panels on a home
February 14, 2022
News Feature
A new way to shape a material’s atomic structure with ultrafast laser light
X-ray laser experiments show that intense light distorts the structure of a thermoelectric material in a unique way, opening a new avenue for controlling the properties of materials.
Illustration shows two ball-and-stick molecules in pink and red separated by a blurred streak representing how the first structure is slightly deformed into the second.
January 6, 2022
News Feature
First realistic portraits of squishy layer that’s key to battery performance
Cryo-EM snapshots of the solid-electrolyte interphase, or SEI, reveal its natural swollen state and offer a new approach to lithium-metal battery design.
Electron microscope image of a sample grid with tiny holes holding thin films of battery electrolyte and tiny lithium metal wires
December 8, 2021
News Feature
Laser-focused: Chandra Breanne Curry appointed first LaserNetUS coordinator
Through her work with this nationwide program, Curry plans to make high-power laser facilities more accessible to researchers.
Chandra Breanne Curry
November 16, 2021
News Feature
Bucket brigades and proton gates: Researchers shed new light on water’s role in photosynthesis
A better understanding of this process could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy.
water droplets on plant
October 7, 2021
News Feature
Department of Energy gives green light for a flagship petawatt laser facility at SLAC
High-power lasers will work in concert with the lab’s X-ray laser to dramatically improve our understanding of matter in extreme conditions.
diamond rain
September 30, 2021
News Feature
Scientists capture the fleeting transition of water into a highly reactive state
This is the first direct observation of a hydroxyl-hydronium complex – important for a wide range of chemical and biological processes from the tails of comets to cancer treatment.
ued ionized water

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