The First Atomic and Molecular Experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source X-Ray Free Electron Laser

The Stanford Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) located at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, began operation in the Fall of 2009. The LCLS is a true x-ray laser, approximately one billion times brighter than any previous laboratory source of x-ray radiation. Here we review some of the first atomic, molecular, and optical experiments that probe the fundamental interactions of such uniquely bright and short x-ray pulses with atoms and molecules, summarize some of the theory leading up to these experiments and conclude with some ideas on future avenues of investigation.