The scene: Scientist Jian Chen adjusts optics mounted for an
experiment at one of several PULSE laser laboratories housed at
SLAC. (PULSE is a joint SLAC/Stanford University laser science
institute.) In this experiment, a small fleck of sample material
is held in a special “diamond anvil cell” and torqued to
pressures up to 12 gigapascals—120,000 times greater than
atmospheric pressure, similar to conditions deep inside the
Earth. Chen and colleagues then use three separate, highly
precise beams of pulsed laser light, bouncing variously through
the specialized optics, to measure the behavior of electrons in
the material under pressure. Experiments of this sort give
scientists clues about the nature and dynamics of the atomic
world that could aid in developing new materials with exotic
properties. The shot: Canon 5D Mk II, 17-35mm/f2.8L lens @ 17mm,
f/7.1. ISO 200, 1/40 sec exposure. Three lights (all
Speedlites), one triggered with a Pocket Wizard II, the others
with optical slaves: one camera left (close, wi