Past Event

Attoseconds, X-Ray Lasers, and Tracking Sub-Atomic Sheepdogs

Presented by Taran Driver

Electrons are tiny, charged particles with huge jobs: They hold all matter together, they drive the chemical reactions that power life, and they transport information and energy across the globe. Despite their importance, we still don’t fully understand how they achieve all this busy work, mostly because they move astonishingly fast – in just attoseconds (a billionth of a billionth of a second). 

Join us at The Dutch Goose on Thursday, August 21 at 5:30 p.m., as SLAC staff scientist Taran Driver explains how these sub-atomic sheepdogs drive nearly every process on Earth and how we’re starting to track their super-fast movements. Grab a drink, chase some sheep, and test your newfound knowledge with a lightning round of trivia and a hands-on challenge. We’ll see you there! 

About Taran Driver

Taran Driver is a staff scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where he works on the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and is a member of the Stanford PULSE Institute. His research focuses on understanding electron movement in molecules, and his tool of choice is SLAC’s attosecond X-ray free-electron laser. Outside the lab, Taran enjoys playing soccer and biking in the California sunshine.

Past Event

Attoseconds, X-Ray Lasers, and Tracking Sub-Atomic Sheepdogs

Presented by Taran Driver

SLAC on Tap
A headshot of Taran Driver next to the SLAC on Tap logo with the words "Home brewed science" surrounding the logo
Date
Thursday, August 21, 2025
5:30–7:30 p.m. PDT
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