Molecular movie-making is both an art and a science; the results let us watch how nature works on the smallest scales.

Understanding the structure and behavior of atoms and molecules for materials or biological applications requires sophisticated X-ray and ultrafast instruments and machines, such as SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) and the Megaelectronvolt Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (MeV-UED) instrument, that can reveal nature at the smallest and fastest scales through, for example, molecular movies.

These scientific endeavors, however, require finely tuned machines and create massive volumes of complex data at ultrafast rates. SLAC researchers are turning these challenges into an opportunity to drive and lead a new era of machine learning tools to optimize these facilities, experiments and data management.

Particle accelerators are the backbone of SLAC's X-ray and ultrafast facilities, creating unprecedented opportunities for the large global research community. One challenge is quickly tuning the electron beam that generates the X-rays for the unique requirements of each experiment. Experienced operators must consider and adjust hundreds of parameters with limited information, so it can be hard to see how the adjustments are exactly shaping the beam and to determine what to try next.