About us

SLAC’s elementary particle physics research aims to understand the fundamental structure of all the constituents of the universe and their interactions with one another through a combination of experimental and theoretical research. Accelerator based experiments can probe conditions that existed shortly after the Big Bang when ordinary matter first formed. Specialized detectors perform exquisite measurements of the property of these particles. Theories developed by SLAC physicists help provide a framework for this accumulated knowledge and give experimenters a much better idea of where to look for the next big discovery.