X-ray light sources and electron imaging

21-26 September 2025 at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

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.

The technique could improve how scientists study materials and drive advancements in high-performance technologies, such as next-generation computer chips.

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.  

Researchers taking the first-ever direct measurement of atom temperature in extremely hot materials inadvertently disproved a decades-old theory and upended our understanding of superheating. 

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

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.