Wednesday December 8: Opportunities at SLAC 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

SLAC is a vibrant multiprogram laboratory that explores how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invents powerful tools used by scientists around the globe. With research spanning particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, materials, chemistry, bio- and energy sciences and scientific computing, we help solve real-world problems and advance the interests of the nation.  SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

A billion times brighter: An overview of the revolution underway in X-ray science.

Professor Mike Dunne

Director, Linac Coherent light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University.

This talk will provide an introductory overview of the world’s first “hard x-ray free electron laser facility”, known as LCLS, operated by Stanford University on behalf of the US Department of Energy.

The x-rays produced by LCLS are a billion times brighter than can be produced by conventional sources such as a synchrotron, and are delivered in ultrafast bursts – typically a few tens of femtoseconds (10^‑15 seconds). This opens up revolutionary opportunities for the study of novel states of matter, quantum materials, ultrafast chemistry, and structural biology.

Since its initial operation in 2009, LCLS has enabled a remarkable series of studies via its ability to provide atomic resolution dynamics, with freeze-frame ‘movies’ of how atomic, chemical and biological systems evolve on ultrafast timescales.

Access to LCLS is open free of charge to everyone, based purely on the scientific merit of the proposed experiments. Hopefully this talk will help engender further ideas and opportunities for future use of this remarkable new science facility, and partnerships in the development of new methods, technologies, and data analysis techniques.

LCLS is part of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, which provides a broad array of other advanced capabilities with its combination of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), cryo-electron microscopy tools, and ultrafast laser systems. Opportunities exist for academic partnerships with university groups – including vising faculty programs, student internships, and joint research projects.