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X-ray studies at SLAC facilities help scientists understand the fundamental workings of nature by probing matter in atomic detail.

atoms forming a tentative bond
Illustration

By detecting minute traces of original pigments in fossils, X-ray imaging at synchrotrons has given scientists the chemical evidence needed to discover the actual...

X-ray imaging at synchrotrons has given scientists the chemical evidence needed to discover the actual colors of ancient life forms.
Illustration

The ultrafast, ultrabright X-ray pulses of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have enabled unprecedented views of a catalyst in action, an important step...

Nilsson science cover
Photograph
Undulator Hall with soft X-ray undulators to the left and hard-X-ray undulators to the right.
Empty undulator hall
Photograph

SLAC is a world leader in X-ray and ultrafast science. We make our X-ray laser and synchrotron facilities available to researchers from around the...

Person standing in the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) Undulator Hall
News Brief

The protein could play a key role in soil carbon cycling and soil decomposition.

A three-dimensional structure of the soil virus AMG product, an enzyme known as a chitosanase.
News Brief

Fan’s X-ray crystallography work at SLAC’s synchrotron moves us closer to a more protective coronavirus vaccine and a better understanding of how vital materials...

Fan wins this year's Klein award from SSRL.
News Release

Powerful X-rays from SLAC’s synchrotron reveal that our immune system’s primary wiring seems to be no match for a brutal SARS-CoV-2 protein.

SARS-CoV-2-NEMO
Illustration

This image shows the SARS-CoV-2 virus's main protease, Mpro, and two strands of a human protein, called NEMO.

SARS-CoV-2-NEMO
News Release

Studying a material that even more closely resembles the composition of ice giants, researchers found that oxygen boosts the formation of diamond rain.

Diamond rain formation
Feature

En route to record-breaking X-rays, SLAC’s Cryogenic team built a helium-refrigeration plant that lowers the LCLS-II accelerator to superconducting temperatures.

Images of frost and a thermometer superimposed over an aerial view of an accelerator building.
Illustration
A cross section of the LCLS-II accelerator showing where liquid and gaseous helium flow in and out of the system.
Cross section showing pipes and liquid and gas helium
Feature

An extension of the Stanford Research Computing Facility will host several data centers to handle the unprecedented data streams that will be produced by...

SRCF-II