SLAC topics

Ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) RSS feed

Ultrafast electron diffraction can reveal motions of electrons and atomic nuclei within molecules that take place in less than a tenth of a trillionth of a second – information that will benefit groundbreaking research in materials science, chemistry and biology.

MeV-UED page on LCLS website

Scientists take first snapshots of ultrafast switching in a quantum electronic device.
News Feature

Ultrafast electrons at SLAC’s LCLS facility resolved the structural changes in a light-activated molecule to determine which simulations work best. 

Graphic representation of several molecules floating through space, circle of papers representing scientific results
News Feature

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. 

Headshot of Arianna Gleason with graphic representation of a laser shot
News Feature

Researchers across the lab are developing AI tools to harness data and particle beams in real time and make molecular movies, speeding up the...

Graphic of AI in several science areas
News Brief

A study reveals an ultrathin material’s ability to circularly polarize light, potentially informing how they work in optoelectronic devices.

Image from SLAC's high-speed electron camera showing circular polarization of terahertz light.
News Feature

Improvements to the lab’s “electron camera” use AI and “time stamping” to help reveal nature’s speedy processes more accurately. 

Film strip showing images of the MeV-UED, experimental setups and graphics.
News Feature

Researchers have uncovered new insights about tungsten's ability to conduct heat, which could lead to materials advancements for fusion reactor and aerospace technologies.

tungsten
News Brief

The results  could lead to a better understanding of reactions with vital roles in chemistry and biology. 

MeV-UED
News Feature

The results should further our understanding of similar reactions with vital roles in chemistry, such as the production of vitamin D in our bodies.

UED transition state
News Feature

A laser compressing an aluminum crystal provides a clearer view of a material’s plastic deformation, potentially leading to the design of stronger nuclear fusion...

an abstract illustration of rippling waves made of shining dots
News Feature

The results could lead to a better understanding of reactions with vital roles in chemistry and biology.

UED conformers
News Feature

The early career award honors Sood for his research and leadership using the LCLS user facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Aditya Sood portrait
News Feature

This is the first direct observation of a hydroxyl-hydronium complex – important for a wide range of chemical and biological processes from the tails...

ued ionized water