More than 300 gathered for a day-long symposium to celebrate the history and future of the pioneering X-ray laser.

The annual conference for scientists who conduct research at SLAC’s light sources engaged about 470 researchers in talks, workshops and discussions.

The DOE’s top official met with SLAC staff and toured the Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray laser, where a superconducting upgrade is underway.

In this lecture, SLAC’s Ryan Coffee explains how researchers are beginning to use pattern recognition and machine learning to study chemical reactions at the level of atoms and molecules with the LCLS X-ray laser.

Researchers are using powerful synchrotron-based X-rays to peer inside lithium-ion batteries while they operate. Understanding how batteries function – and what causes them to eventually fail – will help scientists design the next generation of battery technologies.