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Settling a half century of debate, researchers have discovered that tiny linear defects can propagate through a material faster than sound waves do. These linear defects, or dislocations, are what give metals their strength and workability, but they can also make materials fail catastrophically ­– which is what happens every time you pop the pull tab on a can of soda. The fact that they can travel so fast gives scientists a new appreciation of the unusual types of damage they might do to a broad range of materials in extreme conditions.

A materials scientist who specializes in superconductors, Sarrao brings a deep background in national lab leadership and the evolution of SLAC science. 

Berkeley Lab will lead centers for the Hydrogen and Carbon Negative Energy Earthshots, initiatives to accelerate technological breakthroughs for clean energy and solutions to the climate crisis. The Center for Ionomer-based Water Electrolysis (CIWE) will investigate methods to improve the efficiency and durability of clean-hydrogen production, while RESTOR-C will develop better ways for plants and microbes to pull carbon from the atmosphere and lock it away in the soil.

Three SLAC scientists explain what they do to ensure the world's largest digital camera for astronomy is ready for the big time.

Scientists have demonstrated “multielement ink” – the first “high-entropy” semiconductor that can be processed at low-temperature or room temperature. The new material could enable cost-effective and energy-efficient semiconductor manufacturing.

Researchers can use the radio-quiet far side of the moon to listen for a never-before-heard signal from the “Dark Ages” of the universe. The LuSEE-Night experiment will act as a pathfinder for future experiments, testing equipment and techniques in the harsh lunar environment. The Berkeley Lab team is now building the experiment’s antenna, which will head to the moon and hunt for radio waves.

Using engineered microbes as microscopic factories has given the world steady sources of life-saving drugs, revolutionized the food industry, and allowed us to make sustainable versions of valuable chemicals previously made from petroleum. But behind each biomanufactured product on the market today is the investment of years of work and many millions of dollars in research and development funding. Berkeley Lab scientists want to help the burgeoning industry reach new heights by accelerating and streamlining the process of engineering microbes to produce important compounds with commercial-ready efficiency.

The newly upgraded Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory successfully produced its first X-rays, and researchers around the world are already lined up to kick off an ambitious science program.