SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory#LCLS

The Linac Coherent Light Source ( LCLS ) is an X-ray source at SLAC in Stanford, USA.

Your X-ray pulses are 80 femtoseconds and have wavelengths from 0.15 to 15 nanometers. You can for example be used to measure atomic and molecular processes with high time resolution. Due to the high intensity of radiation possible to determine the structure of individual biomolecules are examined - the formation of a molecular crystal is not required.

In the LCLS electrons are accelerated in an about 1 km long section of the former linear accelerator at SLAC. In the subsequent 130 meters long section with undulators they are deflected in a spatially periodic magnetic field and produce up to 120 X-ray pulses per second. The LCLS cost 420 million dollars and took in early October 2009 to operate on.

The LCLS displaces the built in Germany free-electron laser FLASH from its top position. While FLASH covers the area of the soft X-ray radiation emitted LCLS hard X-rays. Even harder X-rays should be able to generate in the future XFEL.