SLAC topics

Condensed-matter physics RSS feed

Condensed matter physics is the study of substances in a solid state. It explores the structure and properties of complex materials at nanoscales, such as superconductors, diamondoids and other quantum materials.  

atomic arrangements of liquid silicates at the extreme conditions found in the core-mantle boundary.

News Feature

Rolls-Royce researchers came to SLAC earlier this month as part of a team testing titanium and its alloys, such as those used in engine...

Photo - Despina Milathianaki, a staff scientist at SLAC's LCLS, holds a series of titanium alloy samples prepared for an experiment. The experiment was designed to study the laser-shocked state of the materials. (Fabricio Sousa/SLAC)
News Feature

SLAC's Siegfried Glenzer has been selected to receive an Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award, presented by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to honor scientists across...

Photo - Siegfried Glenzer
Press Release

Scientists have discovered a potential way to make graphene – a single layer of carbon atoms with great promise for future electronics – superconducting...

Superconducting Graphene Layers
News Feature

While this particular material is very unstable, the research shows it may be possible to find a material with the properties graphene has to...

photo of zhongkai liu
News Feature

Crafted in a single atomic layer, it could be a natural fit for making thin, flexible light-based electronics, as well as futuristic 'spintronics' and...

This diagram shows a single layer of MoSe2 thin film (green and yellow balls) grown on a layer of graphene (black balls) that has formed on the surface of a silicon carbide substrate. (Yi Zhang, SIMES and ALS/Berkeley Lab)
News Feature

An international team led by scientists from two SLAC/Stanford institutes has devised a much faster and more accurate way of measuring subtle atomic vibrations...

Image showing laser beam energizing atoms in crystal lattic
Press Release

A single layer of tin atoms could be the world’s first material to conduct electricity with 100 percent efficiency at the temperatures that computer...

Photo - tin can and piece of scrap tin sitting on a periodic table of elements with tin "Sn" highlighted
News Feature

Scientists working at SLAC, Stanford, Oxford, Berkeley Lab and in Tokyo have discovered a new type of quantum material whose lopsided behavior may lend...

Yulin Chen (Brad Plummer/SLAC)
Press Release

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have clocked the fastest-possible electrical switching in magnetite, a naturally magnetic mineral...

Artists concept shows laser hitting atomic structure and breaking it
News Feature

An imaging technique conceived 50 years ago has been successfully demonstrated at SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source, where it is expected to improve results...

Image - Setup of an LCLS experiment using ptychography.
News Feature

Daniel DePonte, a pioneer in finding ways to serve up a steady and precise supply of crystals, viruses and other precious samples for laser...

Photo - Daniel DePonte standing in experimental station.
Press Release

Menlo Park, Calif. — Researchers using the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have...

Photo of the CAMP Chamber at LCLS