SLAC topics

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SIMES researchers study complex, novel materials that could transform the energy landscape by making computing much more efficient or transmitting power over long distances with no loss, for instance.

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Polarons, bubbles of distortion in a perovskite lattice.

News Feature

Turning a brittle oxide into a flexible membrane and stretching it on a tiny apparatus flipped it from a conducting to an insulating state...

Close up of strain pattern produced by stretching membrane
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VIA Stanford Earth

A better way to build diamonds

With the right amount of pressure and surprisingly little heat, a substance found in fossil fuels can transform into pure diamond.

Scientist holding diamondoid molecule moldels
News Brief

Discovered at SLAC and Stanford, this new class of unconventional superconductors is starting to give up its secrets – including a surprising 3D metallic...

Graphic showing electronic structure of nickelate superconductor
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It reveals an abrupt transition in cuprates where particles give up their individuality. The results flip a popular theory on its head.

Illustration of abrupt transition in normal state of a cuprate
News Brief

Computer simulations yield a much more accurate picture of these states of matter.

Illustration of a Monte Carlo simulation
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The Hubbard model, used to understand electron behavior in numerous quantum materials, now shows us its stripes, and superconductivity too, in simulations for cuprate...

Diagram of electrons moving to neighboring atoms in Hubbard model
Press Release

Made with ‘Jenga chemistry,’ the discovery could help crack the mystery of how high-temperature superconductors work.

Illustration of 'Jenga chemistry' step of making new superconductor
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The coating significantly extends the battery's life and reduces the problems that cause batteries to burst into flames.

Stanford PhD students David Mackanic, left, and Zhiao Yu with their battery tester
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Combined with the lab’s LCLS X-ray laser, it’ll provide unprecedented atomic views of some of nature’s speediest processes.

Alex Reid, ultrafast electron diffraction (UED)
Press Release

A new twist on cryo-EM imaging reveals what’s going on inside MOFs, highly porous nanoparticles with big potential for storing fuel, separating gases and...

Images of cryo-EM equipment, CO2 molecule in cage
News Feature

Experiments at SLAC’s X-ray laser reveal in atomic detail how two distinct liquid phases in these materials enable fast switching between glassy and crystalline...

Diagram of material switching between glassy and crystalline states
News Feature

A laser technique lets researchers see how potentially dangerous growths form in batteries.

Microscopic images of lithium metal buildup in batteries