A mile-long graveyard of Jurassic fossils sparks a new international science collaboration
Researchers will use SLAC’s X-ray light source to probe 150 million-year-old dinosaur fossils at the atomic level.
Cause of Cathode Degradation Identified for Nickel-rich Materials
Combination of research methods reveals causes of capacity fading, giving scientists better insight to design advanced batteries for electric vehicles
Untangling a strange phenomenon that both helps and hurts lithium-ion battery performance
New research offers the first complete picture of why a promising approach of stuffing more lithium into battery cathodes leads to their failure. A better understanding of this phenomenon could be the key to smaller phone batteries and electric cars that drive farther between charges.
Study shows single atoms can make more efficient catalysts
Detailed observations of iridium atoms at work could help make catalysts that drive chemical reactions smaller, cheaper and more efficient
X-rays show how periods of stress changed an ice age hyena to the bone
Researchers mapped trace elements within Pleistocene fossils to learn about the life of a long-extinct subspecies of spotted hyena.
Researchers create most complete high-res atomic movie of photosynthesis to date
In a major step forward, SLAC’s X-ray laser captures all four stable states of the process that produces the oxygen we breathe, as well as fleeting steps in between. The work opens doors to understanding the past and creating a greener future.
Dancing atoms in perovskite materials provide insight into how solar cells work
A new study is a step forward in understanding why perovskite materials work so well in energy devices and potentially leads the way toward a theorized “hot” technology that would significantly improve the efficiency of today’s solar cells.
In materials hit with light, individual atoms and vibrations take disorderly paths
Revealed for the first time by a new X-ray laser technique, their surprisingly unruly response has profound implications for designing and controlling materials.
Scientists make first detailed measurements of key factors related to high-temperature superconductivity
Two studies led by SLAC and Stanford capture electron “sound waves” and identify a positive feedback loop that may boost superconducting temperatures .
Slideshow: 2018 SSRL/LCLS Users’ Meeting
The annual conference for scientists who conduct research at SLAC’s light sources engaged about 400 researchers in talks, workshops and discussions.
X-rays uncover a hidden property that leads to failure in a lithium-ion battery material
Experiments at SLAC and Berkeley Lab uproot long-held assumptions and will inform future battery design.
Graham George receives Lytle Award for contributions to X-ray absorption spectroscopy
In more than 185 experimental runs at SLAC’s synchrotron, he has pushed the envelope of both techniques and science.
Chuntian Cao wins 2018 Klein Award for lithium-ion battery research
Using SLAC’s X-ray synchrotron SSRL, Cao improves fundamental knowledge about how a new lithium-ion battery material works, which will help enable safer, longer-lasting devices.
Q&A: Shining X-ray light on perovskites for better solar cells
Four scientists discuss X-ray experiments at SLAC’s synchrotron that reveal new insights into how a promising solar cell material forms.
Winning Photos from the 2018 SLAC Physics Photowalk
The SLAC Photowalk took a group of photographers, both amateur and professional, behind the scenes to photograph SLAC's world-class science facilities, including the world's longest linear accelerator, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL). The three winning photos will compete in the Global Physics Photowalk against photos taken at other big scientific labs around the world. In addition to the three winners, seven other SLAC Photowalk pictures were named as runners-up and seven more as honorable mentions. SLAC also invited a group of employees to participate in the photowalk event and though not eligible for the global competition, three photos at the bottom of the page were chosen as staff winners.
How SLAC’s ‘electronics artists’ enable cutting-edge science
A team of electrical designers develops specialized microchips for a broad range of scientific applications, including X-ray science and particle physics.
Students affected by Hurricane Maria bring their research to SLAC
This summer, five graduate students from the University of Puerto Rico had the opportunity to use SLAC’s world-class facilities to keep their studies on track.
Catching the dance of antibiotics and ribosomes at room temperature
A new imaging technique is allowing researchers to pinpoint ways of modifying drugs to avoid side effects.
Ming Yi wins Spicer Award for superconductor research at SLAC’s X-ray synchrotron
Former Stanford and UC-Berkeley physicist is honored for foundational research that peers into unconventional phenomena within exotic materials.
X-Ray Experiment Confirms Theoretical Model for Making New Materials
By observing changes in materials as they’re being synthesized, scientists hope to learn how they form and come up with recipes for making the materials they need for next-gen energy technologies.