Speaker: Uwe Bergmann, Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Abstract: Over the past century X-rays have revolutionized numerous fields of science. Starting in the 1970s powerful new synchrotrons sources have dramatically advanced the scientific use of X-rays and in the last decade new X-ray free electron lasers, such as the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have come to light. While the latest generation of synchrotron sources is now approaching the theoretical limits, X-ray lasers are still in their infancy and major upgrades are underway. X-ray laser sources produce ultra-short pulses with a an enormous brightness, and for the first time scientist can study matter not just at the length scale of atoms and molecules, but also at the time scale of molecular motion. We will describe these fascinating machines, and present examples and opportunities for current and future synchrotron and X-ray laser research.