Field guides: Argonne scientists bolster evidence of undiscovered particles or forces in Muon g-2 experiment
The first result from the Muon g-2 experiment points to the existence of undiscovered particles or forces. These findings could have major implications for future particle physics experiments and could lead to greater understanding of how the universe works.
Powerful polymers: ORNL study provides new insights into N95's COVID-19 filter efficiency
Research results on the N95 filter media, recently published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials, outline the science behind what led to ORNL's successful production of material on the CFTF's precursor production line.
Caught in the act: New data about COVID-19 virus's functions could aid in treatment designs
For the first time, a team of researchers has captured X-ray images of a critical enzyme of the COVID-19 virus performing its function. This discovery could improve design of new treatments against the disease.
Less than a nanometer thick, stronger and more versatile than steel
Scientists from Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University and the University of Florida report a breakthrough involving a material called borophane, a sheet of boron and hydrogen a mere two atoms in thickness.
Story Tips: Mighty Mo Material, Fueling Retooling, Goods on the Move, Doubling Concrete and Batteries Passport
ORNL story tips: Mighty Mo material, fueling retooling, goods on the move, doubling concrete and batteries passport
This hydrogen fuel machine could be the ultimate guide to self improvement
Scientists at Berkeley have uncovered an extraordinary self-improving property that transforms an ordinary semiconductor into a highly efficient and stable artificial photosynthesis device
April Snapshots
Science Snapshots from Berkeley Lab: X-rays accelerate battery R&D; infrared microscopy goes off grid; substrates support 2D tech
Quantum material's subtle spin behavior proves theoretical predictions
Using complementary computing calculations and neutron scattering techniques, researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Lawrence Berkeley national laboratories and the University of California, Berkeley, discovered the existence of an elusive type of spin dynamics in a quantum mechanical system.
Research confirms ingredient in household cleaner could improve fusion reactions
Research led by PPPL scientists provides new evidence that particles of boron, the main ingredient of Borax household cleaner, can coat internal components of doughnut-shaped plasma devices known as tokamaks and improve the efficiency of the fusion reactions.
Science Snapshots From Berkeley Lab - Week of March 29, 2021
India's Ambitious Clean Energy Goals, a Secret Pathway to Harnessing the Sun for Clean Energy, and a Supersmart Gas Sensor for Asthmatics
Scientists uncover a process that stands in the way of making quantum dots brighter
Bright semiconductor nanocrystals known as quantum dots give QLED TV screens their vibrant colors. But attempts to increase the intensity of that light generate heat instead, reducing the dots' light-producing efficiency. A new study explains why, and the results have broad implications for developing future quantum and photonics technologies where light replaces electrons in computers and fluids in refrigerators, for example.
Game on: Science Edition
UPTON, NY -- Inspired by the mastery of artificial intelligence (AI) over games like Go and Super Mario, scientists at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) trained an AI agent -- an autonomous computational program that observes and acts -- how to conduct research experiments at superhuman levels by using the same approach. The Brookhaven team published their findings in the journal Machine Learning: Science and Technology and implemented the AI agent as part of the research capabilities at NSLS-II.
Revealing Nano Big Bang - Scientists Observe the First Milliseconds of Crystal Formation
At Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, scientists recruited a world-leading microscope to capture atomic-resolution, high-speed images of gold atoms self-organizing, falling apart, and then reorganizing many times before settling into a stable, ordered crystal.
Shining a healing light on the brain
Scientists report a novel noninvasive treatment for brain disorders based on breakthroughs in both optics and genetics. It involves stimulation of neurons by means of radioluminescent nanoparticles injected into the brain and exposed to X-rays.
Tiny raindrops pose big challenges: Argonne researchers improve climate models, prediction of climate change
Drizzle in marine clouds is a key parameter for achieving more accurate climate predictions. Argonne developed novel techniques to retrieve drizzle properties and will expand its research to the aerosol impact on clouds and precipitation.
New machine learning tool diagnoses electron beams in an efficient, non-invasive way
For the past few years, researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have been developing "virtual diagnostics" that use machine learning to obtain crucial information about electron beam quality in an efficient, non-invasive way. Now, a new virtual diagnostic approach incorporates additional information about the beam that allows the method to work in situations where conventional diagnostics have failed.
Do You Know the Way to Berkelium, Californium?
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have demonstrated how to image samples of heavy elements as small as a single nanogram. The new approach will help scientists advance new technologies for medical imaging and cancer therapies.
20230510101121.png&width=160&height=110){kind=logo}
Scientists observe complex tunable magnetism tied to electrical conduction in a topological material
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have observed novel helical magnetic ordering in the topological compound EuIn2As2 which supports exotic electrical conduction tunable by a magnetic field.
Neutrons reveal unpredicted binding between SARS-CoV-2, hepatitis C antiviral drug
Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory used neutron scattering to investigate the interactions between telaprevir, a drug used to treat hepatitis C viral infection, and the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, the enzyme responsible for enabling the virus to reproduce. Unforeseen changes in the electric charges were discovered in the drug binding site of the protease enzyme that were not predicted by prevailing computer simulations. The research provides key insights for advancing drug design and drug repurposing efforts to treat COVID-19.
Explosive Origins of 'Secondary' Ice--and Snow
Where does snow come from? This may seem like a simple question to ponder as half the planet emerges from a season of watching whimsical flakes fall from the sky--and shoveling them from driveways. But a new study on how water becomes ice in slightly supercooled Arctic clouds may make you rethink the simplicity of the fluffy stuff. It describes definitive, real-world evidence for "freezing fragmentation" of drizzle as a major source of ice in slightly supercooled clouds. The findings have important implications for forecasting weather and climate.
First closeups of how a lithium-metal electrode ages
They discovered that the nature of the battery electrolyte, which carries charge between the electrodes, has a big impact on aging - a factor that needs to be taken into account when developing electrolytes that maximize a battery's performance.
Polystyrene waste is everywhere; scientists just found a way to break it down
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and their partners from Clemson University have discovered a green, low-energy process to break down polystyrene, a type of plastic that is widely used in foam packaging materials, disposable food containers, cutlery, and many other applications.
Missing Baryons Found in Far-Out Reaches of Galactic Halos
Researchers have channeled the universe's earliest light - a relic of the universe's formation known as the cosmic microwave background - to solve a missing-matter mystery and learn new things about galaxy formation. Their work could also help us to better understand dark energy and test Einstein's theory of general relativity by providing new details about the rate at which galaxies are moving toward us or away from us.
Magnetism Meets Topology on a Superconductor's Surface
Scientists have found an energy band gap--an energy range where no electrons are allowed--opens at a point where two allowed energy bands intersect on the surface of an iron-based superconductor. This unusual electronic energy structure could be used for quantum information science and electronics.
Commercial Truck Electrification is Within Reach
Researchers from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California, Los Angeles published a new study that makes the case for prioritizing public policy to help move long-haul trucking from diesel to electric. Doing so will mean huge gains in addressing the climate crisis and avoiding premature deaths due to local vehicular pollution, which disproportionately affects communities of color.