In a new light 🔆
We are the only U.S. National Lab that is home to not one, but two world-leading X-ray light sources!
Our Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) allow researchers to study matter at the atomic and molecular levels and advance energy solutions.
Image credit [1]: Andy Freeburg & Matt Beardsley/SLAC
Image credit [2]: Olivier Bonin/SLAC
#InternationalDayOfLight #SLACLab #SSRL #LCLS #LightSource #Light #Lab #XRay
Living in a [critical] material world…
The first in-person meeting of the HERMES program - an initiative for discovering, refining and using critical materials from unconventional sources - took place at SLAC last week!
HERMES stands for “hastening the exploration & recovery of minerals from Earth & energy systems”. The project is a consortium of seven DOE labs – Argonne National Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Labs and SLAC. Work at our synchrotron makes us one of the major players in the DOE on supply chains and critical minerals and materials, refining them from sources including ash from coal plants, brine ponds, and more!
Get a glimpse of what they saw.
Video credit: Lara Streiff/SLAC
Music: MB01OFTRMSFW6IH
#SLACLab #SSRL #Synchrotron #NationalLabs #Materials #Minerals
X-rays see inside batteries.🪫
Stanford and SLAC researchers are using our synchrotron (SSRL) to help uncover how and why batteries degrade, develop next-gen materials, and make them safer and longer-lasting.
Combining the expertise of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, and industry, the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center is connecting fundamental science to real-world manufacturing.
Alexis Geslin of Stanford presents how X-rays, AI, and next-gen materials may be the future of battery technology.
Video credit: Olivier Bonin&Lara Streiff/SLAC
Full video here: https://bit.ly/3Pet6hT
#SLACLab #Battery #Stanford #Energy
Batteries are so hot right now. 🔋
And heat can make them better. A SLAC-Stanford research team adjusted the heating process when making lithium-ion battery cathodes, and created longer-lasting batteries. The result was more uniform nanoscale structures that don’t require any extra chemicals or manufacturing steps to make.
The batteries retained nearly 93% of their energy after 500 cycles.
This video shows part of the synthesis of lithium-ion cathode materials. The black spherical particles are transition-metal hydroxide precursor, while the bright white chunky regions are lithium hydroxide. As the temperature increases at a fast rate, the lithium hydroxide softens and melts, spreading around the black particles.
Video credit: D. Eum, H. Ramachandran et al., Nature Energy, 2 March 2026
#SLACLab #Battery #Energy #Stanford #Nature
To the beamline!
This is the last diagnostic screen before the X-ray beam enters the beamline for our newly improved X-ray Pump Probe instrument.
#ICYMI, the instrument is now back online and ready for the world's most powerful X-ray laser, our Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), to get its high-energy upgrade: https://stanford.io/491Ihl2
Credit: Diling Zhu/SLAC
#SLACLab #LCLS #Linac #XRay #Laser #HighEnergy
How does the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory manage all of its data?
To #CaptureTheCosmos, there’s bound to be a lot of data. Up to 10 terabytes of data every night. For 10 years.
Rubin has three data facilities: one in the U.K., one in France, and the U.S. Data Facility (here at SLAC!). Each plays a crucial role in processing and storing the data, and all three will work together to reprocess the entire set of raw images captured by the observatory.
Credits: Written & Produced by Olivier Bonin | SLAC
Presenter: Phil Marshall | Deputy Director of Operations | Rubin Observatory / SLAC
Music: MB01DHO4CPDMBKA
#SLACLab #RubinObservatory #NOIRLab #DOE #NSF
We all need some space once in a while...
Get lost in this wide-field view featuring 10 million galaxies captured by the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
#SLACLab #NationalSpaceDay #RubinObservatory #Space #Galaxy
Fermilab just hit a major milestone! We’ve delivered our final superconducting cryomodule for the high‑energy upgrade of SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source — the world’s most powerful X-ray laser.
This decade-long effort brought together teams from Fermilab, @SLAC , Jefferson Lab and partners across the country to push superconducting accelerator technology to new limits. Soon, LCLS-II High Energy will enable breakthroughs in materials science, biology, quantum research and more.
A huge congratulations to our incredible team and collaborators. This is what innovation and partnership look like.
Read more in the link in our bio.
#Fermilab #SLAC #JeffersonLab #NationalLabs #Innovation #Science #Accelerators
ooooo burn…
X-ray sensitive plastic cards show the 'first beam burn mark' that commemorates first light of our X-ray Pump Probe instrument. Now these serve as a keepsake to mark the occasion!
Image credit [1,3,4]: Diling Zhu
Image credit [2]: Margaret Wadie Fikry Ghaly
#SLACLab #XRay #LCLS #Laser #HighEnergy
We’re back baby.
Our X-ray Pump Probe instrument has returned to normal operations following a year-long rebuild. All in preparation for the high-energy upgrade to the world’s most powerful X-ray laser.
Once complete, our Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) will be able to produce high-energy X-rays at repetition rates up to a million pulses per second. The XPP instrument will then be able to gather more data, achieve higher spatial resolution and support a wider range of experiments than ever before.
Credits: Shot & Produced by Olivier Bonin | SLAC
Music: MB01JWFJMMIMHEG
#SLACLab #LCLS #Linac #Xray #HighEnergy
Electron trees 🌳
Their intricate design is made by bombarding clear plastic with a defocused low-energy electron beam traveling at almost the velocity of light. At SLAC, “beamtrees” have historically been given as gifts and awards.
Image credit [1,3]: Matt Beardsley/SLAC
Image credit [2]: SLAC
#SLACLab #Beamtree #Electron #ArborDay
![In a new light We are the only U.S. National Lab that is home to not one, but two world-leading X-ray light sources!Our Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) allow researchers to study matter at the atomic and molecular levels and advance energy solutions.Image credit [1]: Andy Freeburg & Matt Beardsley/SLACImage credit [2]: Olivier Bonin/SLAC#InternationalDayOfLight #SLACLab #SSRL #LCLS #LightSource #Light #Lab #XRay](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6727282212436215705417_0_1c5ab835218a45cf5d28b82a4f19d97c.jpg?o=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&h=645d3f7438225451a179136cf36ad7cd)
![Living in a [critical] material world…The first in-person meeting of the HERMES program - an initiative for discovering, refining and using critical materials from unconventional sources - took place at SLAC last week!HERMES stands for “hastening the exploration & recovery of minerals from Earth & energy systems”. The project is a consortium of seven DOE labs – Argonne National Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Labs and SLAC. Work at our synchrotron makes us one of the major players in the DOE on supply chains and critical minerals and materials, refining them from sources including ash from coal plants, brine ponds, and more!Get a glimpse of what they saw.Video credit: Lara Streiff/SLACMusic: MB01OFTRMSFW6IH#SLACLab #SSRL #Synchrotron #NationalLabs #Materials #Minerals](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6727396528415667452870_0_df73ae87dc8c92e791a278232bcb7907.jpg?o=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&h=fdb46d2a316998d721ac8a2bd4c210a8)
![ooooo burn…X-ray sensitive plastic cards show the 'first beam burn mark' that commemorates first light of our X-ray Pump Probe instrument. Now these serve as a keepsake to mark the occasion!Image credit [1,3,4]: Diling ZhuImage credit [2]: Margaret Wadie Fikry Ghaly#SLACLab #XRay #LCLS #Laser #HighEnergy](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739195525362032685940_0_52c3fc30381425f0466eae42290bf3d0.jpg?o=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&h=f40ab530b058c78cb4d1a893c54bd911)
![Electron trees Their intricate design is made by bombarding clear plastic with a defocused low-energy electron beam traveling at almost the velocity of light. At SLAC, “beamtrees” have historically been given as gifts and awards.Image credit [1,3]: Matt Beardsley/SLACImage credit [2]: SLAC#SLACLab #Beamtree #Electron #ArborDay](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739171226296267704016_0_fe49513aff93fcb7c0f259ca412dffa3.jpg?o=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&h=bb4a37b05c940cf779e460ea34580a26)
