About the Cover

The ultra-bright X-ray laser pulses of the Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory can be used to strip electrons away from atoms, creating ions with strong charges. The ability to interact with atoms is critical for making the highest resolution images of molecules and movies of chemical processes. A tour of SLAC is on the agenda for PhysCon 2016. (Artwork by Gregory Stewart, SLAC.)