SLAC has converted its giant particle accelerator into the world's first X-ray laser. By a billion fold the world's brightest X-ray source, the laser packs a trillion photons into pulses as short as a millionth of a billionth of a second. The ultra-bright, ultra-short X-ray pulses will drive a wide range of new experiments, as scientists strip electrons from atoms, photograph single molecules and make movies of chemical reactions.

How has SLAC accomplished such feats of X-ray wizardry? Attend this public lecture to learn about the basics of an X-ray laser, the technologies at SLAC that make it possible, and the exciting new experiments now underway.