Events archive

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

Shortly after the birth of the universe, space was filled by a plasma that was literally red-hot. The light radiated by that plasma has traveled the vast emptiness of space for billions of years, with the expansion of the universe...

Viewing the Beginning of Time from the Most Remote Places on Earth

Black holes are some of the most exotic and extreme objects in the universe. Though they sound like the stuff of science fiction, they are real and much more common than you might think. Every galaxy has a black hole...

Stillframe image from public lecture flares and fireworks

Who we are

SLAC science explained

Vera C. Rubin Observatory LSST

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Shocking to the Core: Adventures in Earth Science

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

Viewing the Beginning of Time from the Most Remote Places on Earth

Flares and Fireworks from Black Holes