X-ray Science
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Untangling a strange phenomenon that both helps and hurts lithium-ion battery performance
New research offers the first complete picture of why a promising approach of stuffing more lithium into battery cathodes leads to their failure. A better understanding of this phenomenon could be the key to smaller phone batteries and electric cars that drive farther between charges.
An effect that Einstein helped discover 100 years ago offers new insight into a puzzling magnetic phenomenon
Using an X-ray laser, researchers watched atoms rotate on the surface of a material that was demagnetized in millionths of a billionth of a second.
Study shows single atoms can make more efficient catalysts
Detailed observations of iridium atoms at work could help make catalysts that drive chemical reactions smaller, cheaper and more efficient
To curb maternal deaths in developing countries, researchers use X-rays to map a lifesaving drug in action
New research will help in the quest to design low-cost drugs that can tackle postpartum bleeding and other conditions without severe side effects.
Researchers create most complete high-res atomic movie of photosynthesis to date
In a major step forward, SLAC’s X-ray laser captures all four stable states of the process that produces the oxygen we breathe, as well as fleeting steps in between. The work opens doors to understanding the past and creating a greener future.
In materials hit with light, individual atoms and vibrations take disorderly paths
Revealed for the first time by a new X-ray laser technique, their surprisingly unruly response has profound implications for designing and controlling materials.
Scientists make first detailed measurements of key factors related to high-temperature superconductivity
Two studies led by SLAC and Stanford capture electron “sound waves” and identify a positive feedback loop that may boost superconducting temperatures .
Scientists present ideas for next-gen accelerator experiments
An advisory committee is evaluating proposals for first experiments at SLAC’s future FACET-II accelerator facility.
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.
