News Feature Channel: Department of Energy

Nuclear Physicists Create Scalable Quantum Circuits to Simulate Fundamental Physics

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 21:05:50 EST

Simulations of equations from the Standard Model of particle physics are too difficult for classical supercomputers. In this research, scientists for the first time created scalable quantum circuits to prepare a simulation of the starting state for a particle accelerator collision to test aspects of strong interactions. The researchers first determined these circuits for small systems using classical computers, then scaled the quantum circuits to a large system on more than 100 qubits of IBM's quantum computers.

Heavy Ligands Unravel New Chemistry for Heavy Elements

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:50:07 EST

The transplutonium actinides are highly radioactive and rare, making them difficult to study. To examine their chemical properties, researchers typically use non-radioactive lanthanides as surrogates. In this study, scientists streamlined the synthesis of transplutonium actinide compounds, which allowed for more accurate direct comparisons of lanthanides and heavy actinide compounds, showing that transplutonium actinides have truly unique properties.

New Computer Code Could Lead to Simpler, Less Costly Stellarators for Fusion Power

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 09:35:52 EST

Physicists have created a new computer code that could speed up the design of the complicated magnets that shape the plasma in stellarators, making the systems simpler and more affordable to build.

Scientists Discover New Heavy-Metal Molecule 'Berkelocene'

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:00:11 EST

Scientists have discovered "berkelocene," the first organometallic molecule to be characterized containing the heavy element berkelium. The breakthrough disrupts long-held theories about the chemistry of the elements that follow uranium in the periodic table.

Scientists Take an Important Step Toward Mitigating Errors in Analog Quantum Simulations of Many-Body Problems

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 09:10:40 EST

Simulations of quantum many-body problems are a challenge for even the most powerful conventional computers. Quantum computing has the potential to solve this challenge using an approach called an analog quantum simulation. To succeed, these simulations need theoretical approximations of how quantum computers represent many-body systems. In this research, nuclear physicists developed a new framework to analyze these approximations and minimize their effects.

A New Way to Engineer Composite Materials

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:00:33 EST

A new study led by researchers at Berkeley Lab outlines a way to engineer pseudo-bonds in materials. Instead of forming chemical bonds, which is what makes epoxies and other composites so tough, the chains of molecules entangle in a way that is fully reversible.

Energy Secretary Focuses on American Leadership During ORNL Visit

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 19:50:40 EST

During his first visit to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Energy Secretary Chris Wright compared the urgency of the lab's World War II beginnings to today's global race to lead in artificial intelligence, calling for a "Manhattan Project 2."

SLAC Scientists Created the Most Powerful Ultrashort Electron Beam in the World

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 19:30:27 EST

Researchers carefully positioned lasers to compress billions of electrons together, creating a beam five times more powerful than ever before.

For Better Quantum Sensing, Go With the Flow

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 11:00:43 EST

Scientists encased nanodiamonds in tiny moving droplets of water to improve quantum sensing. The new technique lets researchers detect trace amounts of certain ions and molecules, and could someday find applications in environmental monitoring, medicine, bioengineering, and more.

Single-Qubit Sensing Puts New Spin on Quantum Materials Discovery

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 07:00:06 EST

Working at nanoscale dimensions, billionths of a meter in size, a team of scientists led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory revealed a new way to measure high-speed fluctuations in magnetic materials.

Scientists Lay Out Vision for AI-Based 'Labs of the Future'

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:55:34 EST

ORNL scientists recently sketched a road map for autonomous research laboratories.

New Analysis Improves Theoretical Understanding of Hyperfine Splitting in Hydrogen

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:00:05 EST

Two experiment collaborations, the g2p and EG4 collaborations, combined their complementary data on the proton's inner structure to improve calculations of a phenomenon in atomic physics known as the hyperfine splitting of hydrogen. An atom of hydrogen is made up of an electron orbiting a proton. The overall energy level of hydrogen depends on the spin orientation of the proton and electron. If one is up and one is down, the atom will be in its lowest energy state. But if the spins of these particles are the same, the energy level of the atom will increase by a small, or hyperfine, amount. These spin-born differences in the energy level of an atom are known as hyperfine splitting.

QSA Quantum Technologies Advance Insights into Materials Physics

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:05:10 EST

QSA plays a critical role in supporting the missions of the DOE's Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program.

Exploring Quantum Materials for a New Generation of Technology

Brookhaven National Laboratory — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:00:17 EST

A technique called resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, or RIXS, is particularly suited for probing samples as thin as one atomic layer and material states that change very rapidly. With recent technological developments, researchers expect this technique to enable studies that were unthinkable only five years ago. This progress gave Mark Dean and three colleagues -- Matteo Mitrano, Steven Johnston, and Young-June Kim -- the impetus to chart where the field is going as a whole. So, they summarized the technique's state of the art and how they expect the field to progress in a Perspective paper, recently published in Physical Review X.

AI/ML's Bright Future at NSLS-II

Brookhaven National Laboratory — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 18:30:21 EST

The National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) -- a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory -- is among the world's most advanced synchrotron light sources, enabling and supporting science across various disciplines. Advances in automation, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) are transforming how research is done at NSLS-II, streamlining workflows, enhancing productivity, and alleviating workloads for both users and staff.

Next Top Model: Competition-Based AI Study Aims to Lower Data Center Costs

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:30:54 EST

Data scientists and developers at Jefferson Lab are exploring some of the latest artificial intelligence techniques to help make high-performance computers more reliable and less costly to run. The study deploys machine learning models that are trained to monitor and predict the behavior of a scientific computing cluster.

The U.S. Department of Energy Announces Xander Newlun as the 2025 Conquer the Hill Command Competition Winner

Argonne National Laboratory — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 18:45:24 EST

Argonne National Laboratory announced Xander Newlun from the University of Texas at San Antonio won the 2025 Conquer the Hill(r) Command competition.

Scientists Lay Out Vision for AI-Based 'Labs of the Future'

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:30:53 EST

A workshop led by scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory sketched a road map toward a longtime goal: development of autonomous, or self-driving, next-generation research laboratories.Scientists have dreamed for generations of high-tech laboratories operated via robotics at the push of a button.

Supercomputing Illuminates Detailed Nuclear Structure

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:35:27 EST

Using the Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, researchers have developed a new technique that predicts nuclear properties in record detail.

New Photon-Avalanching Nanoparticles Could Enable Next-Generation Optical Computers

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:00:15 EST

Researchers have developed a new optical computing material from photon-avalanching nanoparticles. The breakthrough offers a path toward realizing smaller, faster components for next-generation computers.

Some Fuel Lodges in the Inner Walls of Fusion Vessels. Researchers Now Have a Better Idea of How Much

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 08:30:34 EST

New research offers insights that could help reduce the amount of radioactive tritium embedded in the walls of fusion vessels to a minimum.

Demonstrating the Interconnectedness in Nuclear Physics

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:05:18 EST

An early-career physicist mathematically connects timelike and spacelike form factors, opening the door to further insights into the inner workings of the strong force. A new lattice QCD calculation connects two seemingly disparate reactions involving the pion, the lightest particle governed by the strong interaction. One reaction is known as the spacelike process, where an electron is bounced off a pion.

Dialing In Scientific and Operational Performance

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:28 EST

Jefferson Lab's heating, ventilation and air conditioning professionals ensure optimal operation of operational and scientific facilities through their technical expertise.

ORNL Entanglement Study Connects Quantum Essentials on New Chip

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 17:45:41 EST

Quantum information scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory successfully demonstrated a device that combines key quantum photonic capabilities on a single chip for the first time.The study published in Optica Quantum focused on a type of quantum computing that relies on light particles, or photons, to build qubits and to store and transmit information.

SLAC to Develop Fusion Energy Target Technology as Part of DOE Fusion Innovation Research Engine Collaboratives

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:10:32 EST

Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will contribute to the DOE's newly established Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives. These collaborative teams were created to bridge basic science research programs with the needs of the growing fusion industry. In total, the DOE announced $107 million in funding for six projects under this initiative.

Germanium Detectors Help ORNL Physicists Unlock the Mysteries of the Universe

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:30:23 EST

Relying on leading-edge germanium detectors developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the scientific community pursues elusive nuclear processes to unlock persistent mysteries. Answers to questions they hope to resolve hold the potential to redefine the universe itself.

What Is Quantum Coherence?

Argonne National Laboratory — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 19:40:49 EST

What is of quantum coherence and how it is used for quantum sensing and quantum computing applications?

New Nanoscale Technique Unlocks Quantum Material Secrets

Argonne National Laboratory — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:30:33 EST

Using a novel surface-sensitive spectroscopy method, scientists explored atomic vibrations in crystalline material surfaces near interfaces. The findings illuminate quantum behaviors that play important roles computing and sensing technologies.

Researchers Record Ultrafast Chorus Dance of Electrons on Super-Small Particle

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:10:25 EST

It may be the smallest, shortest chorus dance ever recorded. Researchers observed how electrons, excited by ultrafast light pulses, danced in unison around a particle less than a nanometer in diameter. As reported in Science Advances, this is the first measurement of its kind and will enable researchers to evaluate electron dynamics in a new range of super-small particles, valued for their ability to trap and manipulate light.

Selective Combustion Provides Energy-Efficient Alternative to Remove Pollutants From Industrial Processes

University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:00:31 EST

For the first time, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities discovered a new method by which a catalyst can be used to selectively burn one molecule in a mixture of hydrocarbons, which are compounds made of hydrogen and carbon atoms.

Self-Driving Lab Transforms Materials Discovery

Argonne National Laboratory — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 19:55:59 EST

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have developed an AI-driven automated material laboratory, Polybot, an autonomous discovery platform that explores processing pathways to produce high-quality electronic polymer films with optimized conductivity and low-defect coatings, offering practical guidance for scalable production.

Mini Flow Battery Speeds Energy Storage Research

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:45:13 EST

Mini flow cell battery provides the first step toward an AI-driven, robotic energy storage discovery laboratory.

Photographing DUNE

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:55:59 EST

Documenting the work of building the world's largest neutrino experiment presents photographers with a unique set of challenges.

Homing in on Spinning Gluons: New Study Nearly Nixes the Negative

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:30:12 EST

Researchers have been working for decades to understand the details of where the proton gets its intrinsic angular momentum, otherwise referred to as its spin. Recently, there have been indications that the spin contribution of the gluons could either be positive or negative. Now, a new approach that avoids assumptions and re-analyzes observational data with lattice quantum chromodynamics points strongly toward a positive gluon spin contribution, (delta)g, to the proton spin.

Beyond DNA: How Environments Influence Biology to Make Things Happen

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:05:27 EST

This week at AAAS, PNNL scientists discuss phenomics and the factors that influence DNA instructions to bring about the world around us.

Innovative Target Design Leads to Surprising Discovery in Laser-Plasma Acceleration

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:50:56 EST

Scientists have developed a groundbreaking method for generating fast, bright proton beams using a high-repetition-rate laser-plasma accelerator. This work, published in Nature Communications, resolves several long-standing challenges and ushers this technology to the threshold of real-world applications - all thanks to a stream of water.

From Photons to Protons: Argonne Team Makes Breakthrough in High-Energy Particle Detection

Argonne National Laboratory — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 20:15:35 EST

Researchers at Argonne have discovered that superconducting nanowire photon detectors can also be used as highly accurate particle detectors, and they have found the optimal nanowire size for high detection efficiency.

Unlocking Safer Batteries: New Study Uncovers Key Insights Into Electrolyte Materials for All-Solid-State Batteries

Argonne National Laboratory — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 20:00:44 EST

Correlated Nucleon Pairs Predict Quark-Gluon Distributions

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 20:40:01 EST

Physicists know from previous experiments that what happens at the nuclear scale to protons and neutrons also affects their constituent quarks and gluons. A novel new framework has tapped on short-range correlations - brief pairings of protons and neutrons - to decipher the particles' choreography and reveal this connection.

Berkeley Lab Helps Explore Mysteries of Asteroid Bennu

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:40:02 EST

Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source and Molecular Foundry provided powerful tools to study asteroid samples returned by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Researchers found that asteroid Bennu contained a set of salty mineral deposits that formed in an exact sequence when a brine evaporated, leaving clues about the type of water that flowed billions of years ago.

Improving the Way Flash Memory Is Made

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 09:20:41 EST

The narrow, deep holes required for one type of flash memory are made twice as fast with the right recipe, which includes a plasma made from hydrogen fluoride.

Argonne Releases Aurora Exascale Supercomputer to Researchers, Enabling Accelerated Science

Argonne National Laboratory — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 19:00:25 EST

With its Aurora exascale supercomputer, Argonne National Laboratory is providing researchers with a powerful tool to accelerate discoveries across many fields, including biology, chemistry and AI for science.

Peeling Back the Layers: Exploring Capping Effects on Nickelate Superconductivity

Brookhaven National Laboratory — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 10:55:52 EST

A team led by researchers at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) used cutting-edge X-ray techniques to gain new insights into "infinite-layer" nickelate materials

Mining the dark sky with the Aurora exascale supercomputer

Argonne National Laboratory — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:25:04 EST

As part of the Aurora Early Science Program, an Argonne team is using the lab's new Aurora exascale supercomputer and AI tools to perform simulations of the universe that aim to shed light on dark matter and dark energy.

Polymer Editing Can Upcycle Waste Into Higher-Performance Plastics

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:15:49 EST

By editing the polymers of discarded plastics, chemists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have found a way to generate new macromolecules with more valuable properties than those of the starting material.

"Louvers" on the SPARC Fusion Device Should Exhaust Gases as Hot as a Star

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:50:15 EST

New studies have found that using louvers at the bottom of a fusion device creates local conditions that can reduce the temperature of the edge plasma, ensuring the plasma is not hot enough to damage the device. Specifically, the louvers allow the hot plasma to "detach" from the walls of the device, spreading out the heat. The work, on the SPARC machine, aids in progress toward fusion energy production.

Metastable Marvel: X-Rays Illuminate an Exotic Material Transformation

Argonne National Laboratory — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:55:46 EST

A team of scientists investigate an exotic, light-induced phase transformation within a material using advanced X-ray and laser capabilities.

Next-Level Semiconductor Testing Available

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:10:30 EST

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new automated testing capability for semiconductor devices, which is newly available to researchers and industry partners in the Grid Research Integration and Deployment Center, or GRID-C.Semiconductors are considered the heart of the power electronics that shift current and voltage levels as electricity travels from sources like the electric grid and solar panels to where it's used, such as homes, businesses and vehicle charging stations.

Artificial Imagination

Brookhaven National Laboratory — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 18:40:37 EST

Kevin Yager, the Electronic Nanomaterials Group leader at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), has articulated an overarching vision for the role of AI in scientific research. It's called a science exocortex -- "exo" meaning outside and "cortex" referencing the information processing layer of the human brain. Rather than simple chatbots and scientific assistants, the conceptualized exocortex will be an extension of a scientist's brain. Researchers will interact with it through conversation, without the need for any invasive brain-computer interfaces.

Illuminating the Elements Under Our Feet

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 17:15:33 EST

Using a unique measurement tool, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have expanded our knowledge of the elements in soil and plants.