Science news

Five years ago, the brightest source of X-rays on the planet lit up at SLAC. The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser's scientific and technical progress since its momentous "first light" have been no less luminous, say those who...

Scientists from the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology are helping build cameras for the Cherenkov Telescope Array, an advanced, ground-based gamma-ray observatory.

Scientists say collisions between dark matter particles might be the cause of a curious excess of gamma-ray light coming from the center of our ga

Windows that darken to filter out sunlight in response to electric current, function much like batteries. Now, X-ray studies at SLAC provide a crystal-clear view into how this color-changing material behaves in a working battery – information that could benefit...

The Cosmic Microwave Background, leftover light from the big bang, carries a wealth of information about the universe—for those who can read it.

SLAC researchers have found a new way to transform graphite into diamond. The approach may have implications for industrial applications ranging from cutting tools to electronic devices.

One common stereotype of a theoretical physicist is the solitary scientist, scribbling away in his or her office and only emerging when there’s a "Eureka!" in the offing. SLAC accelerator physicist Gennady Stupakov would beg to differ.

X-ray studies conducted at SLAC and in the United Kingdom have resurrected the detailed chemistry of 50-million-year-old leaves from fossils found in the western United States and found striking similarities to their modern descendants.

Scientists have discovered a potential way to make graphene – a single layer of carbon atoms with great promise for future electronics – superconducting, a state in which it would carry electricity with 100 percent efficiency.

Researchers from the BICEP2 collaboration have announced the first direct evidence supporting the theory of cosmic inflation. Their data also represent the first images of gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time. These waves have been described as the "first tremors...

More than 150 US universities and laboratories are engaged in particle physics research and technology innovation, playing important roles in the Higgs boson and cosmic inflation discoveries—and the many more revelations still to come.

Stanford graduate student Spencer Gessner has received a Siemann fellowship to help him continue his research into cutting-edge accelerator physics at SLAC's Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests.