LCLS Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC)

High-power lasers will work in concert with the lab’s X-ray laser to dramatically improve our understanding of matter in extreme conditions.

She toured the lab’s powerful X-ray laser, looked at the construction of the world’s largest digital camera, and discussed climate research, industries of the future, and diversity, equity and inclusion in the sciences.

Edward Hohenstein, Emma McBride and Caterina Vernieri study what happens to molecules hit by light, recreate extreme states of matter like those inside stars and planets, and search for new physics phenomena at the most fundamental level.

The initiative will give scientists more access to powerful lasers at universities and labs.

It could offer insights into the evolution of planetary systems and guide scientists hoping to harness nuclear fusion as a new source of energy.

Learning how liquid silicates behave at these extreme temperatures and pressures has been a longstanding challenge in the geosciences.

Siegfried Glenzer's team and collaborators from Tel Aviv University are working on a method that could make proton accelerators 100 times smaller without giving up any of their power.

Chemist Ben Ofori-Okai investigates what happens to matter under extreme conditions at microscopic scales to better understand its behavior at massive scales, such as what happens in the Earth’s core.

In the decade since LCLS produced its first light, it has pushed boundaries in countless areas of discovery.

Researchers used a unique approach to learn more about what happens to silicon under intense pressure.

The initiative will give scientists more access to powerful lasers at universities and labs.

In a first, researchers measure extremely small and fast changes that occur in plasma when it’s zapped with a laser. Their technique will have applications in astrophysics, medicine and fusion energy.