SLAC’s campus looking south with Interstate 280 in the distance. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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The LSST 3200 megapixel camera is being tested inside the clean room at SLAC. The camera is the central component of the Vera Rubin Observatory. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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Aerial view of SLAC’s  campus. Stanford campus and Hoover tower can be seen in the distance. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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Sunrise timelapse of SSRL (Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource) (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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View of SLAC’s LCLS-II First Light celebration on October 26th 2023 with DOE Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and LCLS team (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

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Visionary Science
Real Impact

We explore how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invent powerful tools used by scientists around the globe. Our research helps solve real-world problems and advances the interests of the nation.

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Visionary Science

Explore our frontier research

X-ray & ultrafast science

Revealing nature’s fastest processes with X-rays, lasers and electrons

Physics of the universe

Studying the particles and forces that knit the cosmos together
 

Advanced accelerators

Building smaller, faster, more powerful accelerators for all
 

Science of life

Understanding the machinery of life at its most basic level
 

New technologies

Inventing new tools for science and society
 

Energy sciences

Finding clean, sustainable solutions for the world’s energy challenges

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At our large-scale facilities and specialized centers, scientists take advantage of powerful tools and unique expertise and collaborate with each other across a wide range of disciplines. Working together is what makes science tick.

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To achieve our ambitious goals and keep SLAC a great place to work, the lab needs a creative, diverse and united workforce – people with a wide variety of experiences, ideas, skills and backgrounds.

LATEST UPDATES

SLAC news center

News Feature

Following ignition demonstrations at the National Ignition Facility, the prospect of developing a fusion energy source using lasers looks brighter than ever.

Three experts for fusion science at SLAC: Arianna Gleason, Alan Fry and Siegfried Glenzer
News Feature

Lynbrook High School and Joaquin Miller Middle School will continue on to nationals from the regional event hosted at SLAC.   

High school students hold up a blue National Science Bowl banner.
News Feature

Researchers have uncovered new insights about tungsten's ability to conduct heat, which could lead to materials advancements for fusion reactor and aerospace technologies.

tungsten
News Feature

Scientists at Stanford and NYU have published and investigated a new structure of the protein LAG-3 which could enable the development of new cancer...

Three people in lab coats examine chemistry equipment.
News Feature

Lynbrook High School and Joaquin Miller Middle School will continue on to nationals from the regional event hosted at SLAC.   

High school students hold up a blue National Science Bowl banner.
News Feature

Researchers have uncovered new insights about tungsten's ability to conduct heat, which could lead to materials advancements for fusion reactor and aerospace technologies.

tungsten
News Feature

Scientists at Stanford and NYU have published and investigated a new structure of the protein LAG-3 which could enable the development of new cancer...

Three people in lab coats examine chemistry equipment.
News Feature

SLAC experimentalists and theorists collaborate to develop critical detector components, data analysis tools, and theoretical models for the HL-LHC upgrade, which will investigate the...

Eight pipes arrayed in a circle lead to a central experimental apparatus.
News Feature

Seen in atomic detail, the seemingly smooth flow of ions through a battery’s electrolyte is a lot more complicated.

Photo of the laser lab apparatus used in the hopping ions experiment.
News Feature

Scientists report the first look at electrons moving in real-time in liquid water; findings open up a whole new field of experimental physics

IDREAM
SLAC EVENTS

What’s happening

SLAC hosts a range of exciting events to raise awareness, inform, educate and connect with sitewide staff, the Stanford and local communities and the general public.

Event attendees listen to a science lecture

SLAC is a vibrant community of diverse perspectives and expertise, all working together to solve some of the most pressing challenges of our times."

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SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is a Department of Energy national lab run by Stanford in the heart of Silicon Valley. We invent scientific tools to explore the universe at its biggest, its smallest and its fastest. (Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
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SLAC Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) accelerator tunnel.
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