'Science on Saturday' lecture to discuss the evolution of laser-plasma accelerators

WHO: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientist Felicie Albert, along with teacher Dan Burns of Los Gatos High School, will present "Laser-Plasma Accelerators: Riding the Wave to the Next-Generation X-ray Light Sources," the third lecture in the 2018 Science on Saturday lineup that is part of Livermore’s Science and Engineering Month. The series theme is "Marvelous Machines."

WHAT: Particle accelerators have been revolutionizing discoveries in science, medicine, industry and national security for more than a century. An estimated 30,000 particle accelerators are active around the world. In these machines, electromagnetic fields accelerate charged particles, such as electrons, protons, ions or positrons to velocities nearing the speed of light. Although their scientific appeal will remain evident for many decades, one limitation of the current generation of particle accelerators is their tremendous size (typically a mile long) and cost, which often limits access to the broader scientific community. A plasma is a neutral medium composed of negatively charged free electrons and positively charged ions. Plasma can sustain electrical fields three orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional particle accelerators. Acceleration of electrons in laser-driven plasmas has been drawing considerable attention over the past decade. These laser wake field accelerators promise to dramatically reduce the size of accelerators and revolutionize applications in medicine, industry and basic sciences.

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 17
             Session I: 9:30 a.m.
             Session II: 11:15 a.m. (same content as Session I)

WHERE: Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore.

Note:  Science on Saturday is sponsored by LLNL's University Relations and Science Education Program. Lectures are open to the public and specifically targeted to middle- and high-school students. No pre-registration is required. Seating is on a first-come basis. For more information about Science on Saturday, visit the web or contact Joanna Albala, Education Program manager, at (925) 422-6803 or albala1 [at] llnl.gov (email.)