Video | Upgraded X-Ray Laser Science: Radiation Effects

Now 10,000 times brighter and thousands of times faster, LCLS sheds light on the formation of free radicals in nature – from our skin to outer space.

Hundreds of scientists use the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory each year to catch a glimpse of nature’s fundamental processes. Like an enormous microscope, LCLS uses the brightest, ultrashort pulses of X-ray light ever made to reveal the atomic world in unprecedented detail.

After more than a decade of discoveries, LCLS underwent a transformational upgrade (LCLS-II), allowing it to deliver X-ray laser beams up to 10,000 times brighter with pulses that arrive up to a million times per second. The upgrade empowers researchers to make observations over a wider energy range, capture detailed snapshots of rapid processes, probe delicate samples and gather more data in less time – capabilities unrivaled by any other light source in the world.

Now, for the first time, researchers are bringing their big questions to the upgraded LCLS. These experiments will explore how nature works at the atomic scale and help advance transformative technologies of the future, including novel electronics, life-saving drugs and innovative energy solutions.

These breakthrough capabilities open up a whole new window into radiation-induced processes – from the challenges astronauts face in space to how radiation impacts our health here on Earth.” Linda Young Distinguished Fellow at Argonne National Laboratory and Professor of Physics at The University of Chicago

Here, Linda Young, distinguished fellow at Argonne National Laboratory and professor of physics at The University of Chicago, shares how her team is using the upgraded LCLS to study how free radicals form in nature, in outer space and in our bodies.

About SLAC
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory explores how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invents powerful tools used by researchers around the globe. As world leaders in ultrafast science and bold explorers of the physics of the universe, we forge new ground in understanding our origins and building a healthier and more sustainable future. Our discovery and innovation help develop new materials and chemical processes and open unprecedented views of the cosmos and life’s most delicate machinery. Building on more than 60 years of visionary research, we help shape the future by advancing areas such as quantum technology, scientific computing and the development of next-generation accelerators.

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.