High Energy Density Science Division (HEDS)

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October 21, 2019
News Feature
A day in the life of an extreme matter scientist
Chemist Ben Ofori-Okai investigates what happens to matter under extreme conditions at microscopic scales to better understand its behavior at massive scales, such as what happens in the Earth’s core.
Ben Ofori-Okai
August 1, 2019
News Feature
Arianna Gleason and Diana Gamzina receive DOE Early Career Research grants
The SLAC scientists will each receive $2.5 million for their research on fusion energy and advanced radiofrequency technology.
Gleason-Gamzina-ECA2019
May 24, 2019
News Feature
In brief: Radiation damage lowers melting point of potential fusion reactor material
SLAC’s ‘electron camera’ films rapidly melting tungsten and reveals atomic-level material behavior that could impact the design of future reactors.
Tungsten melting
May 22, 2019
News Feature
In brief: A new collider concept would take quantum theories to an extreme
The approach could advance our understanding of fundamental forces under extreme conditions with applications from astrophysics to fusion research.
QED extreme
December 13, 2018
Press Release
Tangled magnetic fields power cosmic particle accelerators
SLAC scientists find a new way to explain how a black hole’s plasma jets boost particles to the highest energies observed in the universe. The results could also prove useful for fusion and accelerator research on Earth.
Cosmic particle accelerators
July 26, 2018
News Feature
Emma McBride and Caterina Vernieri Receive 2018 Panofsky Fellowships at SLAC
Their work will deepen our understanding of matter in extreme conditions and fundamental particle physics.
Panofsky Fellows 2018
June 28, 2018
Press Release
Atomic Movie of Melting Gold Could Help Design Materials for Future Fusion Reactors
SLAC’s high-speed ‘electron camera’ shows for the first time the coexistence of solid and liquid in laser-heated gold, providing new clues for designing materials that can withstand extreme conditions.
UED Gold Melting
November 13, 2017
News Feature
SLAC X-ray Laser Reveals How Extreme Shocks Deform a Metal’s Atomic Structure
A new way to observe this deformation as it happens can help study a wide range of phenomena, from meteor impacts to high-performance ceramics used in armor, as well as how to protect spacecraft from high-speed dust impacts.
Image depicting an experiment at LCLS that shocks a tantalum sample
August 21, 2017
Press Release
Scientists Create ‘Diamond Rain’ That Forms in the Interior of Icy Giant Planets
SLAC’s X-ray laser and Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument allow researchers to examine the exotic precipitation in real time as it materializes in the laboratory.
A cutaway depicts the interior of Neptune (right) and an illustration of diamond rain (left)
August 15, 2017
News Feature
Newly Upgraded Laser Allows Scientists to Peer Further Into the Extreme Universe at SLAC’s LCLS
Tripling the energy and refining the shape of optical laser pulses at LCLS’s Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument allows researchers to recreate higher-pressure conditions and explore unsolved questions relevant to fusion energy, plasma physics and materials science.
Laser engineers with the upgraded Matter in Extreme Conditions optical laser

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