LCLS-II

After a major upgrade, SLAC's X-ray free-electron laser is 10,000 times brighter and thousands of times faster. Now, researchers are using LCLS to observe electrons in real time as they move across molecules.

Researchers used LCLS to capture the ultrafast motion of electrons inside molecules – at scales never before possible. 

They used SLAC’s ultrafast X-ray laser to follow the impact of a single electron moving within a molecule during an entire chemical reaction.

With a suite of reimagined instruments, researchers take up scientific inquiries that were out of reach just one year ago. 

Researchers used the upgraded LCLS to better understand what makes Xanthone – a powerful photocatalyst used in cancer therapies –  so efficient.  

Now 10,000 times brighter and thousands of times faster, LCLS sheds light on the formation of free radicals in nature. 

Shweta Saraf and her team work to ensure the LCLS beamline runs without interruption. 

He met with SLAC staff and toured the lab’s cutting-edge facilities, diving into world-leading research in X-ray and ultrafast science, artificial intelligence, astrophysics and more.

In this Q&A, Arianna Gleason discusses the technologies needed to make commercialized fusion energy a reality and how SLAC is advancing this energy frontier. 

The microelectronics that power daily life and speed discoveries in science and technology are the focus of a bold new vision to make them more energy efficient and able to operate in extreme environments.

LCLS X-rays allowed researchers to connect the molecular dynamics of supercritical carbon dioxide, used in industrial and environmental applications, with its unique properties.