History & lore

Leading researchers met at SLAC on Pellegrini’s 90th birthday to honor his ongoing scientific legacy and to explore the future of X-ray free-electron laser science.

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 be rewritten. Earlier this month, SLAC hosted a symposium to celebrate the milestone.

His wide-ranging curiosity, original way of looking at problems and sheer joy in solving them drove many important contributions to particle physics. 

Under his leadership, the lab diversified its research portfolio, expanded its science impact, advanced major projects, increased collaboration with Stanford and met the challenges of a global pandemic.

This month marks the 30-year anniversary of the first website in North America, launched at SLAC. In this Q&A, one of the Wizards recalls the motivation that spawned the development and how it has changed the work of scientists.

“The Worlds Within” and “Fabrication of the Accelerator Structure,” now available digitally in high fidelity, tell the story of Stanford Linear Accelerator Center’s inception and construction.

By capturing the most energetic light in the sky, the spacecraft continues to teach us about the mysteries of the universe.

Approaching retirement, Jean Deken describes what it’s like to preserve decades of collective scientific memory at a national lab.

The foils, each made from a single chemical element, are used to calibrate X-ray equipment at SLAC’s SSRL synchrotron, and were donated by long-time user, Farrel Lytle.

An award-winning mentor and networking guru, Al Ashley has placed thousands of underrepresented minority students in science and engineering summer research programs.

One of the pioneering particle physicists working at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Taylor carried out experiments that led to the 1990

Nearly 200 guests attended a symposium on fundamental physics to celebrate the former deputy director’s numerous scientific contributions, which continue to have a tremendous impact on our understanding of the subatomic world.