SLAC Public Lecture: Faster! Catching up to Electrons on the Move (Hybrid Event)

Sponsored by SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory7:00-8:00pm, Free, Registration required to attend in-person (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Kavli Auditorium, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025) or Watch Live on SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s YouTube Channel | Learn more 

Abstract: Electrons are tiny particles that hold together the atoms in molecules. When sunlight interacts with a molecule, it first transfers its energy to the electrons.  Then, as the electrons move, the molecule changes form, reshaping itself or even breaking apart.  We do not fully understand how electrons affect the molecules to which they belong because it is very hard to catch them in action.  Electrons move incredibly quickly, and they behave according to the peculiar laws of quantum mechanics.  But now, we can follow the motion of electrons using SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source, an accelerator that can make pulses of X-rays that are shorter than one millionth of a billionth of a second.  In this lecture, I will explain how this one-of-a-kind tool allows us to watch speedy electrons as they move.

About the Speaker: Taran Driver is an Associate Staff Scientist at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and the Stanford PULSE Institute. He grew up in the United Kingdom, where he obtained his B.Sc. in physics and philosophy from the University of Nottingham in 2014, and his Ph.D. in biomolecular structure analysis from Imperial College London in 2019. He came to SLAC in 2019 as a postdoctoral scholar at the Stanford PULSE Institute. His research at SLAC focuses on using the unique ultrashort X-ray pulses made by the LCLS to understand how electrons move within molecules. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling and playing soccer in the California sunshine.

See also: Taran Driver wins 2023 LCLS Young Investigator Award for work on capturing ultrafast electron movements (SLAC News, October 20, 2023)