X-ray Scattering/Diffraction
Scientists Create ‘Diamond Rain’ That Forms in the Interior of Icy Giant Planets
SLAC’s X-ray laser and Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument allow researchers to examine the exotic precipitation in real time as it materializes in the laboratory.
Scientists Watch ‘Artificial Atoms’ Assemble into Perfect Lattices with Many Uses
A serendipitous discovery lets researchers spy on this self-assembly process for the first time with SLAC’s X-ray synchrotron. What they learn will help them fine-tune precision materials for electronics, catalysis and more.
Scientists Get First Direct Look at How Electrons ‘Dance’ with Vibrating Atoms
Extraordinarily precise measurements -- within millionths of a billionth of a second and a billionth of a hair's breadth -- show this ‘electron-phonon coupling’ can be far stronger than predicted, and could potentially play a role in unconventional superconductivity.
Scientists Watch a Molecule Protect Itself from Radiation Damage
The study at SLAC’s X-ray laser was a step toward understanding how DNA defends itself from breakage and potential mutations.
New Droplet-on-Tape Method Assists Biochemical Research at X-Ray Lasers
A research collaboration designed a new assembly-line system that rapidly replaces exposed samples and allows the team to study reactions in real-time.
X-ray Laser Gets First Real-time Snapshots of a Chemical Flipping a Biological Switch
Scientists used SLAC's LCLS X-ray laser to make the first snapshots of a chemical interaction between two biomolecules. It changes the shape of millions of molecular switches almost instantaneously, like synchronized swimmers performing the same move.
Scientists, Interns Bring Structural Biology’s ‘Magic Bullet’ Technique to X-ray Lasers
The team determined the 3-D structure of a biomolecule by tagging it with selenium atoms and taking hundreds of thousands of images.
SLAC’s X-ray Laser Glimpses How Electrons Dance with Atomic Nuclei in Materials
Understanding how a material’s electrons interact with vibrations of its nuclear lattice could help design and control novel materials, from solar cells to high-temperature superconductors.
DOE: New X-Ray Matter Interaction Observed at Ultra-High Intensity
Previously unobserved scattering shows unexpected sensitivity to bound electrons, providing new insights into x-ray interactions with matter and opening the door to new probes of matter.
Scientists Watch Bacterial Sensor Respond to Light in Real Time
High-speed X-ray camera reveals ultrafast atomic motions at the root of organisms’ ability to turn light into biological function.