Energy Sciences Directorate

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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 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 26, 2022
News Feature
SLAC and Stanford researchers reveal the fourth signature of the superconducting transition in cuprates
The results cap 15 years of detective work aimed at understanding how these materials transition into a superconducting state where they can conduct electricity with no loss.
Conceptual illlustration showing a beam of light entering from the right and hitting a material, ejecting a sphere representing an electron
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
January 3, 2022
News Feature
Revitalizing batteries by bringing ‘dead’ lithium back to life
Islands of inactive lithium creep like worms to reconnect with their electrodes, restoring a battery’s capacity and lifespan.
Conceptual illustration shows an EKG-like pulse of energy flatlining as it enters a battery, then coming back to life as it exits
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 22, 2021
News Feature
Experiments confirm a quantum material’s unique response to circularly polarized laser light
Topological insulators conduct electricity on their surfaces but not through their interiors. SLAC scientists discovered that high harmonic generation produces a unique signature from the topological surface.
A counterclockwise pattern of swirling arrows This pattern of arrows representing the combined spin and momentum of electrons in the surface layer of a topological insulator
October 13, 2021
News Feature
Why skyrmions could have a lot in common with glass and high-temperature superconductors
Spawned by the spins of electrons in magnetic materials, these tiny whirlpools behave like independent particles and could be the future of computing. Experiments with SLAC’s X-ray laser are revealing their secrets.
Illustration of skyrmions -- little whirlpools of magnetism formed by the spins of atoms.
September 15, 2021
News Feature
A simple way to get complex semiconductors to assemble themselves
Much like crystallizing rock candy from sugar syrup, the new method grows 2D perovskites precisely layered with other 2D materials to produce crystals with a wide range of electronic properties.
Illustration of layers of 2D materials assembling themselves from chemicals tumbling in water

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