2014 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Underground Helium Travels to the Earth’s Surface Via Aquifers, New Study Says

Using an atom trap built at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to date the water in a deep South American aquifer, scientists tracked the rate at which helium pooled in the aquifers.

The Bright Side of Arctic Clouds

For the first time, modeling research led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that atmospheric particles can brighten cold clouds in the Arctic.

Unusual Electronic State Found in New Class of Unconventional Superconductors

Finding gives scientists a new group of materials to explore to unlock secrets of some materials' ability to carry current with no energy loss.

Atomic 'Mismatch' Creates Nano 'Dumbbells'

Researchers at Argonne National Lab are closer to understanding the process by which nanoparticles made of more than one material – called heterostructured nanoparticles – form. This process, known as heterogeneous nucleation, is the same mechanism by which beads of condensation form on a windowpane.

SLAC, RadiaBeam Build New Tool to Tweak Rainbows of X-ray Laser Light

The Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has teamed up with Santa Monica-based RadiaBeam Systems to develop a device known as a dechirper, which will provide a new way of adjusting the range of energies within single pulses from SLAC’s X-ray laser.

Dr. Franklin Orr Confirmed as Under Secretary for Science and Energy

WASHINGTON – Dr. Franklin (Lynn) Orr was confirmed by the Senate on December 4, 2014 as the Under Secretary for Science and Energy at the Department of Energy.

Powerful New Technique Simultaneously Determines Nanomaterials' Chemical Makeup, Topography

A team of researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and Ohio University have devised a powerful technique that simultaneously resolves the chemical characterization and topography of nanoscale materials down to the height of a single atom.

Learning the Language of Cell Life: Ames Laboratory Scientists Use Genetic Markers to Discover the Rhizosphere

A team of scientists are on the brink of creating a technology that would allow a clearer look at the entire rhizosphere system through the use of aptamers, short strands of genetic material that bind to a specific target molecule.

A Better Look at the Chemistry of Interfaces

New X-ray spectroscopy technique at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source being used for the study of heterogeneous interfaces.

Optimized Algorithms Boost Combustion Research

Turbulent combustion simulations, which provide input to the design of more fuel-efficient combustion systems, have gotten their own efficiency boost, thanks to researchers from the Computational Research Division (CRD) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

President Obama Presents Mildred Dresselhaus with the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Dr. Dresselhaus, a professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering at MIT and former Director of DOE’s Office of Science who has earned numerous other accolades, including the Enrico Fermi Award, was honored as, “One of the most prominent physicists, materials scientists, and electrical engineers of her generation."

On the Right Track for Tropical Clouds

Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory find the cause of moisture buildup that initiates and propels the Madden-Julian Oscillation.