X-ray science

Less than a millionth of a billionth of a second long, attosecond X-ray pulses allow researchers to peer deep inside molecules and follow electrons as they zip around and ultimately initiate chemical reactions.

The results cap 15 years of detective work aimed at understanding how these materials transition into a superconducting state where they can conduct electricity with no loss.

High-speed X-ray free-electron lasers have unlocked the crystal structures of small molecules relevant to chemistry and materials science, proving a new method that could advance semiconductor and solar cell development.

New research questions ‘whiff of oxygen’ in Earth’s early history.

Recently developed methods now in use at SLAC’s X-ray synchrotron helped a team of chemists better understand how certain bacteria turn light into chemical energy.

The ePix series of detectors is designed to keep pace with ever more demanding experiments at SLAC and elsewhere.

Through her work with this nationwide program, Curry plans to make high-power laser facilities more accessible to researchers.

A better understanding of this process could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy.

New observations of the atomic structure of iron reveal it undergoes "twinning" under extreme stress and pressure.

In two new papers, researchers used X-ray crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy to reveal new details of the structure and function of molecular assembly lines that produce common antibiotics.

Spawned by the spins of electrons in magnetic materials, these tiny whirlpools behave like independent particles and could be the future of computing. Experiments with SLAC’s X-ray laser are revealing their secrets.

Scientists who perform experiments at SLAC’s lightsources gathered online for research talks, workshops and discussions.