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Official account of the U.S. Department of Energy's Silicon Valley national lab, operated by Stanford University.

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Welcome to darktober! 🎃 🌌

Where we tackle dark matters… so what is dark matter? How do we know it exists? Unravel the mystery with us.

Risa Wechsler, astrophysicist explains: 85% of the matter in the universe is dark matter, a substance that interacts through gravity but doesn't emit light. American astronomer Vera C. Rubin observed that stars on the outer edges of galaxies were rotating faster than anticipated, leading her to deduce the existence of substantial amounts of invisible dark matter.

Written, edited and produced by Olivier Bonin/SLAC
Musicbed: MB01DVMPHMMW12R

#SLACExplains #RubinObservatory #CaptureTheCosmos #Astronomy #DarkMatter #DarkEnergy by @slac_lab

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2 days ago

A first in fueling fusion with cryogenic foams!

These micrometer-scale experiments, possible only at SLAC, help to validate computer models for fusion targets and impact future fusion power plant designs. The sponge-like cryogenic foam is an ultrafine, porous structure used in inertial fusion targets. It holds liquid fusion fuel uniformly inside tiny fuel capsules, making target assembly and fusion fuel delivery easier.

The 100x higher resolution at this scale was made possible at SLAC’s Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument and the 4 pulse X-ray laser feature of our powerful Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray laser in collaboration with Advanced hCMOS detection systems.

Images [1, 3-5, 9]: Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC
Images & video [2, 6-8] courtesy of the researchers

#SLACLab #Cryogenic #Foams #Fusion by @slac_lab

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4 days ago

Welcome to Chile, @slac_lab LSST Camera team colleagues!

They arrived from California last week for scheduled camera work during NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s planned engineering downtime. This engineering period will last about three weeks in total. During this time, teams will carry out maintenance and other work, including maintenance work on the LSST Camera from the SLAC team.

Planned engineering downtimes are common in ground-based astronomy, especially in winter when the weather tends to be less favorable. This is a good time to do the important maintenance that keeps the observatory running smoothly during the rest of the year! 🔧🔭

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¡Bienvenidos a Chile, equipo de la Cámara LSST del SLAC!

Han llegado la semana pasada desde California para realizar los trabajos programados en la cámara durante la parada técnica programada del Observatorio Rubin de NSF–DOE, que se extenderá por unas tres semanas en total. Mientras el observatorio está en pausa, los equipos aprovechan este tiempo para realizar mantenimiento y otras tareas esenciales. Entre ellas, el equipo del SLAC llevará a cabo trabajos de mantenimiento de la Cámara LSST.

Las paradas técnicas son parte habitual de la operación de los observatorios terrestres, especialmente en invierno, cuando las condiciones meteorológicas suelen ser menos favorables. Es un buen momento para realizar el mantenimiento necesario y asegurar el buen funcionamiento del observatorio durante el resto del año. 🔧🔭
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📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/T. Lange

#RubinObservatory #observatory #engineering #astronomy #astrophysics A "selfie" from two workers wearing helmets and safety vests using Rubin's primary mirror. They're standing on a metal platform with metal structural beams reflected behind them. by @slac_lab

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8 days ago

We're wrapping up the first Bay Area Light Sources Users' Meeting of all three local light sources!

SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source & Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, and Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source thank you for coming to SLAC!

Image 1-3: Lara Streiff/SLAC
Image 4-5: Alan Fry/SLAC

#SLACLab #LightSources #XRay #Laser #Light #Synchrotron A group of people in a corridor are listening attentively to a speaker pointing at wall-mounted images with a stick. The setting appears to be industrial, with visible ceiling pipes and overhead lights. It is the far experimental hall for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). Credit: Lara Streiff/SLAC by @slac_lab

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8 days ago

Why do we have XFELs?

Quantum computing, fusion energy, and so much more. The world’s most powerful X-ray laser is here at SLAC and its getting upgraded. When complete, the upgrade will allow scientists to explore atomic-scale processes with unprecedented precision and address fundamental questions in energy storage, catalysis, biology, materials science and quantum physics like never before.

Video Credit: Olivier Bonin/SLAC
MusicBed ID: MB01CM6P9890PIG

#SLACLab #XRay #Laser #SiliconValley #DOE #NationalLab #Science by @slac_lab

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9 days ago

What can an XFEL do?

An X-ray free-electron laser can capture interactions between molecules that are crucial to life’s processes which can help with research on diseases or aid in drug design, as well as help us understand processes like photosynthesis.

Learn more: https://stanford.io/4h3YVVT
Video credit: Olivier Bonin/SLAC
Musicbed SyncID: MB01VUA27JK5L17

#SLACLab #XRay #Laser #SiliconValley #DOE #NationalLab #Science by @slac_lab

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11 days ago

It’s International Observe the Moon Night!

While Rubin Observatory doesn’t directly observe the Moon, #DYK the focal plane of our LSST Camera (the world’s largest digital camera!) has 3.5-degree field of view? Aka about 7 full moons across and about 45 full moons in area.

Light then focuses onto an array of 189 charged-coupled device sensors, arranged in a total of 21 3-by-3 square arrays mounted on platforms called rafts. They make up the 25-inch diameter, 3.2 gigapixel focal plane!

Image credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

#SLACLab #Rubin #Observatory #Moon #NSF #DOE #NOIRLab by @slac_lab

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14 days ago

We ♥️ our community ☀️

Our annual Community Day took place last weekend! Interactive exhibits, engaging demos, and group tours showcased some of the amazing science happening at SLAC. If you missed this opportunity to join us, you can check out one of our upcoming tours: https://stanford.io/4gXjjWf

Image credit: Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC

#SLAC #Science #Technology #Engineering #Math #STEM by @slac_lab

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15 days ago

How does an X-ray Free-Electron Laser work?

Our underground electron accelerator gets electrons moving so fast (99.9% the speed of light) and they can release ultra bright X-ray light that is then used for scientific experiments. And our X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), is the most powerful of its kind.

Video credit: Olivier Bonin/SLAC
MusicBed ID: MB01AMVTZJJIIQ6

#SLACLab #XRay #LightSource #Electron #Laser by @slac_lab

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16 days ago

What is an XFEL? Do you know?

Not unlike a camera, an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) helps us capture movies, but at the tiny and ultrafast scale of atoms and molecules! SLAC is home to the world’s first hard X-ray XFEL, our Linac Coherent Light Source.

Learn more: https://stanford.io/4h3YVVT
Video credit: Olivier Bonin/SLAC
Musicbed SyncID: MB01GQUSBAWLUVH

#SLACLab #XRay #Laser #SiliconValley #DOE #NationalLab #Science by @slac_lab

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18 days ago

Detecting dark matter...

The LUX-ZEPELIN experiment recently observed something unexpected, and it’s the most compelling hint of dark matter reported by the experiment to date.

SLAC researchers helped to build and test the LUX-ZEPLIN or LZ detector, and continue to contribute to operations and analysis of its growing datasets.

“The team at SLAC has made vital contributions to the data analysis and physics results since LZ turned on,” said Ann Wang, a Panofsky Fellow at SLAC who serves as co-deputy physics coordinator for LZ. “The students, postdoctoral researchers and staff across the years have driven improvements across almost all aspects of LZ data analysis, from the event reconstruction to the background modeling.”

The latest from LZ: https://stanford.io/4ciEnpJ

Video credit: Sam Soon/SLAC
Music: MB01VOKJFYDLQR9
#SLACLab #Underground #DarkMatter #LZ by @slac_lab

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23 days ago

Dedicated.

#OTD in 1967, five years after construction began, was SLAC’s dedication day. Our linear particle accelerator – first dubbed Project M aka "the Monster" – celebrated the official opening of the massive two-mile-long linear accelerator.

Photo 2 shows Atomic Energy Commission Director Glenn Seaborg, SLAC Director Pief Panofsky, Stanford University President J. E. Wallace Sterling, U.S. Presidential Science Advisor Don Horning and Edward L. Ginzton, former Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University and the Director of Project M.

Image credit: SLAC

#SLACLab #Construction #Accelerator #History Aerial view of SLAC Linear Accelerator Lab in California. Sparse trees and open land are visible. by @slac_lab

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24 days ago