SLAC topics

Plasma physics and fusion energy science RSS feed

Creating conditions for fusion on Earth involves generating and sustaining a plasma. Plasmas are gases that are so hot that electrons are freed from atomic nuclei. 

DOE explains...Fusion energy science

Highly reflective mirrors and telescope lenses in the Matter in Extreme Conditions optical laser system

News Brief

An X-ray imaging technique revealed that copper nanofoams used in inertial fusion experiments aren't as uniform as expected.

Green blobs on a blue background.
News Feature

LaserNetUS funding will allow scientists to explore fundamental plasma science and inertial fusion energy research and technology.

Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) Hutch 6, located in the LCLS Far Experimental Hall.
News Feature

The results offer important implications for astrophysics and nuclear fusion research.

NIF experiment
News Feature

High-power lasers will work in concert with the lab’s X-ray laser to dramatically improve our understanding of matter in extreme conditions.

diamond rain
News Feature

It could offer insights into the evolution of planetary systems and guide scientists hoping to harness nuclear fusion as a new source of energy.

Scattered photons
News Feature

In a first, researchers measure extremely small and fast changes that occur in plasma when it’s zapped with a laser. Their technique will have...

LCLS Plasma Expansion
News Feature

Tripling the energy and refining the shape of optical laser pulses at LCLS’s Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument allows researchers to recreate higher-pressure conditions...

Laser engineers with the upgraded Matter in Extreme Conditions optical laser
News Feature

The 2010 experiment marked a significant step forward in understanding extreme states of matter at the hearts of stars, planets and nuclear fusion reactions.

The interior of an LCLS chamber set up for an investigation into hot, dense matter.
Past Event

Presented by Siegfried Glenzer. Normally we think of hydrogen as a gas.  But elsewhere in the universe, hydrogen under extreme pressure can exist in...

stillframe public lecture jupiter in a bottle