Study shows potential of super grids when hurricanes overshadow solar panels
.Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a comprehensive modeling method to better predict the drop in electricity generation when hurricane clouds overshadow solar panels. The team explored ways to compensate for these energy losses with super grids, a collection of grids connected so electricity can flow across island chains or between continents.
Scientists pioneer new X-ray microscopy method for data analysis " on the fly"
Scientists have developed a new method for enhancing X-ray microscopy experiments by allowing researchers to adjust experiments based on data that is being collected on the fly, potentially paving the way for more autonomous discovery.
High-resolution Lidar Sees Birth Zone of Cloud Droplets
Scientists have made the first-ever remote observations of the fine-scale structure at the base of clouds. The results show that the air-cloud interface is a transition zone where aerosol particles suspended in Earth's atmosphere give rise to the droplets that ultimately form clouds.
Critical Minerals Recovery from Electronic Waste
A nontoxic separation process recovers critical minerals from electronic scrap waste.
New Method Could Explore Gluon Saturation at the Future Electron-Ion Collider
Exploring the gluon saturation in large nuclei is one of the major goals of the future Electron-Ion Collider. New research proposes a novel method to probe the onset of gluon saturation by measuring the nucleon energy-energy correlation in deep inelastic scattering. This result leads to a comprehensive approach to study the universal behavior of gluon saturation.
This Alloy is Kinky
A team led by Berkeley Lab has revealed a new metal alloy that resists damage at both hot and cold temperature extremes due to an atomic-level effect called kink bands, making it potentially suitable for demanding applications like more powerful aerospace engines.
New Beta-Decay Measurements in Mirror Nuclei Pin Down the Weak Nuclear Force
Scientists have gained insights into the weak nuclear force from new, more sensitive studies of the beta decays of the "mirror" nuclei lithium-8 and boron-8. The weak nuclear force drives the process of nuclear beta decay. The research found that the properties of the beta decays of lithium-8 and boron-8 are in perfect agreement with the predictions of the Standard Model.
Auburn's McCrary Institute, ORNL to partner on first regional cybersecurity center to protect the nation's electricity grid
Auburn University's McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security was awarded a $10 million Department of Energy grant in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create a pilot regional cybersecurity research and operations center to protect the electric power grid against cyberattacks.
Three ORNL scientists elected AAAS Fellows
Keith Kline, Rigoberto Advincula and Takeshi Egami have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Machine learning algorithm reveals long-theorized glass phase in crystal
Scientists have found experimental evidence of the long-theorized Bragg glass phase present in a material. Bragg glasses display both the ordered properties of crystals and the disordered nature of glasses at the same time.
Soil Bacteria Link their Life Strategies to Soil Conditions
Microbiologists do not fully understand how bacteria's genes relate to their life strategies. Now, by analyzing large DNA sequencing datasets from around the globe, researchers discovered a new way of categorizing the dominant life strategies of soil bacteria based on their genes. This technique allowed the researchers to link different life strategies with specific climate and soil conditions.
Garbage Could Replace a Quarter of Petroleum-Based Jet Fuel Every Year
Every year, the nation's aviation industry uses around 22 billion gallons of jet fuel, which produces about 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide--or 3% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Because of this, researchers and policymakers alike are eyeing aviation as an industry ripe with opportunity to lower emissions. One way to reduce emissions? Reuse society's waste and turn it into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Argonne's Decarbonization Scenario Model analyzes ambitious pathways to net-zero carbon emissions
Argonne's newest computer model helps users across the economy assess plans to slash CO2 emissions.
Neutrons rule the roost for cage-free lithium ions
Scientists using neutrons set the first benchmark (one nanosecond) for a polymer-electrolyte and lithium-salt mixture. Findings could boost power and safety for lithium batteries.
Chemists invent a more efficient way to extract lithium from mining sites, oil fields, used batteries
Oak Ridge National Laboratory chemists invented a more efficient way to extract lithium from waste liquids leached from mining sites, oil fields and used batteries. They demonstrated that a common mineral can adsorb at least five times more lithium than can be collected using previously developed adsorbent materials.
Creating an island paradise in a fusion reactor
In their ongoing quest to develop a range of methods for managing plasma so it can be used to generate electricity in a process known as fusion, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have shown how two old methods can be combined to provide greater flexibility.
Database Supplies Recommended Key Properties for All Known Nuclei
Scientists know of more than 3,300 isotopes. Researchers have compiled experimental nuclear data for all known nuclei, including mass, quantum numbers, half-life, decay modes, and branching intensities.
Machine learning could help reveal undiscovered particles within data from the Large Hadron Collider
Scientists recently used a machine learning approach called anomaly detection to analyze large volumes of data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The method has never before been applied to data from a collider experiment.
Superconducting Electronics Show Promise for Future Collider Experiments
When superconductors encounter too much current, they can become resistive. Researchers can design microscopic electronic components that use this effect to create a switch, like a transistor. The resulting nanowire superconducting switching devices (called nano-cryotrons, or nTrons) show promise for future superconducting electronics or particle detectors.
During Droughts, Soil Microbes Produce Volatile Carbon Metabolites
Soil microbes use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a food source but can also release VOCs as gases that enter the atmosphere.
Finding the Catalyst for a More Sustainable Future
Fuel cells are quickly becoming a viable, clean energy alternative to commonly used fossil fuels, such as gasoline, coal, and oil. Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy resources that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Fuel cells, however, rely on an electrochemical reaction rather than combustion, producing carbon-free energy.
Scientists pioneer autonomous robotic method for studying liquids suspended in air
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have used robots and artificial intelligence to dramatically speed up data collection and analysis in X-ray studies of liquids.
New Technique Lets Scientists Create Resistance-Free Electron Channels
Researchers have taken the first atomic-resolution images and demonstrated electrical control of a chiral interface state - an exotic quantum phenomenon that could help researchers advance quantum computing and energy-efficient electronics.
New study shows renewable energy could work as power source at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
A recent analysis shows that renewable energy could be a viable option to diesel fuel for science at the South Pole. The analysis deeply explores the feasibility of replacing part of the energy production at the South Pole with renewable sources.
Computing How Quantum States Overlap
To study quantum many-body systems, researchers use computational tools called quantum Monte Carlo simulations. In this work, researchers used a specific approach called the "floating block method" to compute atomic nuclei corresponding to two different Hamiltonians.