LCLS Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC)
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10 ways SLAC’s X-ray laser has transformed science
In the decade since LCLS produced its first light, it has pushed boundaries in countless areas of discovery.
A new lens on materials under extreme conditions allows researchers to watch shock waves travel through silicon
Researchers used a unique approach to learn more about what happens to silicon under intense pressure.
SLAC joins new LaserNetUS network to boost high-intensity laser research
The initiative will give scientists more access to powerful lasers at universities and labs.
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.
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.
Social Media: Highlights from Six Months of LCLS Experiments
Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to during the last experimental run – from June to November 2017 – at the Linac Coherent Light Source.
Scientists Make First Observations of How a Meteor-Like Shock Turns Silica Into Glass
Research with SLAC’s X-ray laser simulates what happens when a meteor hits Earth’s crust. The results suggest that scientists studying impact sites have been overestimating the sizes of the meteors that made them.
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.
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.
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.
