Lasers
RSS Feed 
Researchers switch material from one state to another with a single flash of light
Switches like this one, discovered with SLAC’s ultrafast ‘electron camera’, could offer a new, simple path to storing data in next-generation devices.
Peering into 36-million-degree plasma with SLAC’s X-ray laser
In a first, researchers measure extremely small and fast changes that occur in plasma when it’s zapped with a laser. Their technique will have applications in astrophysics, medicine and fusion energy.
Slideshow: 2018 SSRL/LCLS Users’ Meeting
The annual conference for scientists who conduct research at SLAC’s light sources engaged about 400 researchers in talks, workshops and discussions.
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.
SLAC’s Ultra-High-Speed ‘Electron Camera’ Catches Molecules at a Crossroads
To break, or not to break: An unprecedented atomic movie captures the moment when molecules decide how to respond to light.
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.
Study Reveals New Insights into How Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells Work
Research conducted at the atomic scale could help explain how electric currents move efficiently through hybrid perovskites, promising materials for solar cells.
Scientists Catch Light Squeezing and Stretching Next-Gen Data Storage Material
Combining X-ray and electron data from two cutting-edge SLAC instruments, researchers make the first observation of the rapid atomic response of iron-platinum nanoparticles to light. The results could help develop ways to manipulate and control future magnetic data storage devices.
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.
A Potential New and Easy Way to Make Attosecond Laser Pulses: Focus a Laser on Ordinary Glass
This novel method could shrink the equipment needed to make laser pulses billionths of a billionth of a second long for studying ultra-speedy electron movements in solids, chemical reactions and future electronics.
