High Energy Density Science Division (HEDS)

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June 5, 2020
Shock waves created in the lab mimic astrophysical particle accelerators powered by exploding stars
In experiments at the National Ignition Facility, a SLAC-led team found new details about how supernovas boost charged particles to nearly the speed of light.
A computer simulation of the turbulent magnetic fields in two plasma shock waves, which were created in the lab to mimic astrophysical shocks.
May 6, 2020
News Feature
Flickr: Laser Proton Acceleration
Siegfried Glenzer's team and collaborators from Tel Aviv University are working on a method that could make proton accelerators 100 times smaller without giving up any of their power.
Glenzer-LaserProtonAcceleration
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

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