Events archive

Presented by Christopher Tassone. Throughout human history, improvements in the structure of metals have been essential to the sharpness of swords and the strength of steel girders. Now we’d like to produce turbine blades and propellers with optimal shapes and...

Superconductors are materials in which electric current flows freely, without resistance. They are used to create the powerful magnetic fields needed to operate MRI machines and levitate high-speed trains, and have even served as building blocks for quantum computers. While...

At the center of the Earth, matter is crushed under pressures millions of times higher than we experience here on the surface. Pressures in the cores of stars and giant planets are even more extreme. To understand how the Earth...

stillframe for public lecture video about liquid diamonds

Presented by Wah Chiu. Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a revolutionary technology for making 3D images of the inner workings of cells in much higher resolution than ever possible before.

Presented by Eric Charles. A single gamma ray carries millions of times the energy of a single photon of visible light. This means that gamma rays are produced only in the most convulsive environments in the universe – pulsars spinning...

stillframe image from lecture titled 10 Years of Cosmic Fireworks with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

Spacetime and quantum mechanics are the pillars of our modern understanding of fundamental physics. But there are storm clouds on the horizon indicating that these principles are approximate, and must be replaced with something deeper. The union of quantum mechanics...

stillframe from public lecture about spacetime

Presented by Sila Kiliccote. The grid that transmits our electrical power needs a radical transformation. The structure of the grid has not changed fundamentally since its creation a century ago. But today’s grid faces new challenges.

At a first glance, our galaxy appears to be made of stars separated by vast and empty space. However, we now know that this space is filled with things that are more difficult to see – gas, photons and the...

The high standard of living we enjoy today is made possible by catalysts – behind-the-scenes agents that promote chemical reactions in the vast majority of industrial processes, including production of fertilizers, gasoline and other essential products. But we have only...

Solar power is a clean and renewable source of energy, but it has struggled to compete with fossil fuels on cost. Most solar cells, which absorb sunlight and produce electrical energy, are built from silicon. SLAC’s Kevin Stone is exploring...

Stillframe image from public lecture Paint-on solar cells

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Revealing the Secrets of Transistors using Supercomputers

3D Printing for Perfect Metal Parts

Making Waves in a Superconductor

Liquid Diamonds: New Materials at Pressures of the Earth’s Core

Cryo-EM: Amazing 3D Views of Life’s Molecular Machines

10 Years of Cosmic Fireworks with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

The End of Spacetime

The New Grid: 100% Clean Energy for All

Axions: Ghost Riders in the Sky

Catalysis: the Hidden Path to Foods, Fuels and Our Future

Paint-On Solar Cells: How the Magic Happens