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Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) RSS feed

The Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC, the world’s first hard X-ray free-electron laser, takes X-ray snapshots of atoms and molecules at work, revealing fundamental processes in materials, technology and living things.

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Rooftop view of Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)

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The method could lead to the development of new materials with tailored properties, with potential applications in fields such as climate change, quantum computing...

self driving experiments
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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.
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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.
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The Ultrafast X-ray Summer School, run by the Stanford PULSE Institute and hosted at SLAC, opens the door for students and postdocs to imagine...

A group photo of people in red tee shirts.
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Researchers figured out how to spray and freeze a cell sample in its natural state in milliseconds, helping them capture basic biological processes in...

These are two images of the same cell at different times during an experiment.
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Researchers developed new methods that produce intense attosecond pulses and pulse pairs to gain insights into the fastest motions inside atoms and molecules. It...

attosecond pulses
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Following the NIF ignition demonstrations, the prospect of developing a fusion energy source using lasers looks brighter than ever. 

Illustration featuring three SLAC scientists Alan Fry, Arianna Gleason, and Siegfried Glenzer.
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Scientists report the first look at electrons moving in real-time in liquid water; findings open up a whole new field of experimental physics

IDREAM
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The research could lead to a better understanding of how metals behave under extreme conditions, which will aid in the development of more resilient...

phonon hardening
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Wan-Lin Hu’s job is to improve the way people and artificial intelligence collaborate to run SLAC’s complex machines.

Wan-Lin Hu is seen talking with talks with accelerator systems operator Kabir Lubana in the lab’s main Accelerator Control Room.
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A new experiment suggests that this exotic precipitation forms at even lower pressures and temperatures than previously thought and could influence the unusual magnetic...

Diamond rain
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SLAC will partner in two collaborations that aim to speed up progress in fusion energy science and technology.

Laser engineer Eric Cunningham with the Matter in Extreme Conditions optical laser