SLAC’s campus looking south with Interstate 280 in the distance. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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The LSST 3200 megapixel camera is being tested inside the clean room at SLAC. The camera is the central component of the Vera Rubin Observatory. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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Sunrise timelapse of SSRL (Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource) (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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Aerial view of SLAC’s  campus. Stanford campus and Hoover tower can be seen in the distance. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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SLAC’s research yard in the foreground, with the LINAC stretching 2 miles to the west, and SLAC’s campus on the right. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

Bold People
Visionary Science
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We explore how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invent powerful tools used by scientists around the globe. Our research helps solve real-world problems and advances the interests of the nation.

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Visionary Science

Explore our frontier research

X-ray & ultrafast science

Revealing nature’s fastest processes with X-rays, lasers and electrons

Physics of the universe

Studying the particles and forces that knit the cosmos together
 

Advanced accelerators

Building smaller, faster, more powerful accelerators for all
 

Science of life

Understanding the machinery of life at its most basic level
 

New technologies

Inventing new tools for science and society
 

Energy sciences

Finding clean, sustainable solutions for the world’s energy challenges

WHERE RESEARCH HAPPENS

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At our large-scale facilities and specialized centers, scientists take advantage of powerful tools and unique expertise and collaborate with each other across a wide range of disciplines. Working together is what makes science tick.

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MEET OUR TEAMS

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To achieve our ambitious goals and keep SLAC a great place to work, the lab needs a creative, diverse and united workforce – people with a wide variety of experiences, ideas, skills and backgrounds.

LATEST UPDATES

SLAC news center

News Feature

The microelectronics that power daily life and speed discoveries in science and technology are the focus of a bold new vision to make them more energy efficient and able to operate in extreme environments.

photo of detector
News Feature

NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has just successfully completed a series of full-system tests using an engineering test camera.

A grid representing a digital camera image, with the central squares filled in.
News Feature

A market and supply chain analysis for sodium- and lithium-ion batteries is the first by STEER, a new Stanford-SLAC energy technology analysis program.

An illustration of the periodic table, featuring lithium and sodium, along with a data graph.
News Brief

SLAC researchers help develop an automated analytical method to speed the discovery process in single atom catalysts.  

Visual depicting a new quatitative analysis method for catalysis
News Feature

NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has just successfully completed a series of full-system tests using an engineering test camera.

A grid representing a digital camera image, with the central squares filled in.
News Feature

A market and supply chain analysis for sodium- and lithium-ion batteries is the first by STEER, a new Stanford-SLAC energy technology analysis program.

An illustration of the periodic table, featuring lithium and sodium, along with a data graph.
News Brief

SLAC researchers help develop an automated analytical method to speed the discovery process in single atom catalysts.  

Visual depicting a new quatitative analysis method for catalysis
News Brief

LCLS X-rays allowed researchers to connect the molecular dynamics of supercritical carbon dioxide, used in industrial and environmental applications, with its unique properties.

A figure showing atoms and blue blobs projecting an image onto a screen.
News Feature

About 30 years ago an ‘ideas guy’ and a team builder joined forces to search for the invisible bulk of existence. In this Q&A...

Dark Matter
News Feature

Consumers’ real-world electric vehicle driving benefits batteries more than the steady use simulated in almost all laboratory tests of new battery designs, a Stanford-SLAC...

An illustration of a car inside a battery.
SLAC EVENTS

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Upcoming Event
Register to watch in person in the  Kavli Auditorium,  or watch the lecture live on our YouTube page.  Plants supply us with food, clothing...
Public Lecture: Joycelyn Richardson
Jan 23

SLAC is a vibrant community of diverse perspectives and expertise, all working together to solve some of the most pressing challenges of our times."

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SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is a Department of Energy national lab run by Stanford in the heart of Silicon Valley. We invent scientific tools to explore the universe at its biggest, its smallest and its fastest. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
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SLAC Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) accelerator tunnel.
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