Lasers

Using the powerful LCLS X-ray laser, researchers at SLAC have directly imaged for the first time how molecules rearrange during a chemical reaction controlled by light.

Making ‘magic’ happen with bright X-rays, SLAC’s Silvia Russi takes us into the world of a beamline scientist. 

With a new method that could be extended to study Earth’s core and nuclear fusion, they identify and explain jumps in the electrical conductivity of aluminum under extreme conditions. 

Experiments running at these higher pulse rates will allow scientists to capture ultrafast processes with greater precision, collect data more efficiently and explore phenomena that were previously out of reach.

Researchers at SLAC are developing experimental techniques to evaluate new candidates for inertial fusion energy targets. 

The technique could improve how scientists study materials and drive advancements in high-performance technologies, such as next-generation computer chips.

With a suite of reimagined instruments, researchers take up scientific inquiries that were out of reach just one year ago. 

Researchers taking the first-ever direct measurement of atom temperature in extremely hot materials inadvertently disproved a decades-old theory and upended our understanding of superheating. 

One-quintillionth of a second lasing breakthrough could lead to next-generation X-ray technologies, improving imaging in medical, material, and quantum science.

In this Q&A, Arianna Gleason discusses the technologies needed to make commercialized fusion energy a reality and how SLAC is advancing this energy frontier. 

As a member of a collaborative team led by General Atomics, SLAC will help bridge basic research programs with the growing fusion industry. 

Scientists studying laser-plasma proton acceleration made an unexpected breakthrough, simultaneously resolving multiple long-standing problems although they had only aimed to address one.