Dwarf Galaxy 3.
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Physics of the universe

The infant universe was awash in fundamental particles. Over billions of years, matter cooled and clumped into stars and galaxies, tied together by an invisible cosmic web of dark matter. Meanwhile, dark energy was accelerating the expansion of the universe. This evolution continues today, as stars, black holes and whole galaxies collide and shower us with cosmic rays.

SLAC and Stanford are at the leading edge of developing tools for studying the physics of the universe from all angles – from the fundamental particles and interactions that underlie everything we know to the forces that shape galaxies, and beyond. Building on our Nobel Prize-winning history of fundamental physics research, we carry out a broad range of world-leading studies aligned with national priorities in the areas of elementary particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, including investigations of dark matter and neutrinos that leverage strong national and international partnerships.

Particles collide in this illustration

Elementary particle physics

With more than six decades of experience in building powerful particle accelerators and exquisitely sensitive detectors, SLAC and its partners play a leading role in creating and studying nature’s fundamental building blocks  and  developing theories that explain and guide experiments. 

Elementary particle physics

Two galaxies pass in a bullet cluster.

Astrophysics and cosmology

To explore the  evolution of the universe, the formation of stars and galaxies, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and the fundamental structure of space and time, SLAC researchers develop cutting-edge scientific tools, from quantum sensors to multi-ton tanks of ultrapure xenon,   for experiments deep underground, on the Earth’s surface and in space. Most recently, we built and shipped the world’s largest digital camera to the Rubin Observatory in Chile, where it will give us the widest, fastest and deepest view of the night sky ever observed.

Astrophysics and cosmology

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Latest news in physics of the universe

News Brief

Rubin Observatory’s rapid scanning of the night sky will capture the largest sample of Type Ia supernovae yet, unlocking new insights into dark energy.

An illustration of a telescope scanning the night sky.
News Feature

NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has just successfully completed a series of full-system tests using an engineering test camera.

A grid representing a digital camera image, with the central squares filled in.
News Feature

About 30 years ago an ‘ideas guy’ and a team builder joined forces to search for the invisible bulk of existence. In this Q&A...

Dark Matter
News Brief

Rubin Observatory’s rapid scanning of the night sky will capture the largest sample of Type Ia supernovae yet, unlocking new insights into dark energy.

An illustration of a telescope scanning the night sky.
News Feature

NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has just successfully completed a series of full-system tests using an engineering test camera.

A grid representing a digital camera image, with the central squares filled in.
News Feature

About 30 years ago an ‘ideas guy’ and a team builder joined forces to search for the invisible bulk of existence. In this Q&A...

Dark Matter
News Feature

A new center brings astrophysics, data science, and AI together to answer some of the universe’s biggest questions.

A rendering of a galaxy.
News Feature

AI is playing a key role in helping SLAC researchers find new galaxies and tiny neutrinos, and discover new drugs.

Diffraction pattern
News Feature

In 1974, the independent discovery of the J/psi particle at SLAC and Brookhaven National Laboratory rocked the physics world, and entire textbooks had to...

50th anniversary of the J/psi discovery