SLAC topics

Plasma wakefield acceleration RSS feed

Charged particles “surf” waves of plasma - a promising technology that could make future particle colliders more compact and affordable.

Advanced accelerators

FACET-II science

News Feature

What could smaller particle accelerators look like in the future? SLAC scientists are working on innovations that could give more researchers access to accelerator...

This is a graphic image of particles moving through plasma during plasma wakefield acceleration.
Press Release

FACET-II will pave the way for a future generation of particle colliders and powerful light sources, opening avenues in high-energy physics, medicine, and materials...

FACET-II
News Feature

At SLAC’s FACET facility, researchers have produced an intense electron beam by 'sneaking’ electrons into plasma, demonstrating a method that could be used in...

Trojan horse illustration
News Feature

Scientists around the world are testing ways to further boost the power of particle accelerators while drastically shrinking their size.

Scientists around the world are testing ways to further boost the power of particle accelerators while drastically shrinking their size.
News Feature

An advisory committee is evaluating proposals for first experiments at SLAC’s future FACET-II accelerator facility.

FACET-II First Electrons
News Feature

Three new studies show the promise and challenge of using plasma wakefield acceleration to build a future electron-positron collider.

Press Release

The goal: develop plasma technologies that could shrink future accelerators up to 1,000 times, potentially paving the way for next-generation particle colliders and powerful...

FACET-II science
News Feature

He is recognized for his numerous contributions to the advancement of accelerator physics, community service and education.

Alexander Chao
News Feature

Researchers have reached another milestone in the development of a promising technology that could lead to more efficient and powerful particle accelerators.

News Feature

The lab’s signature particle highway prepares to enter another era of transformative science as the home of the LCLS-II X-ray laser.

SLAC linear accelerator building at sunset
Video
This animation explains how researchers accelerate positrons with a plasma – a method that may help boost the energy and shrink the size of...
video stillframe of plasma wakefield acceleration with positrons
Video
Press Release

A SLAC-led research team working at the lab’s FACET facility has demonstrated a new way of accelerating positrons that could help develop smaller, more...

Simulation of high-energy positron acceleration in an ionized gas, or plasma