2016 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Nickel-78 is a ‘Doubly Magic’ Isotope, Supercomputing Calculations Confirm

Theoretical physicists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently used Titan, America’s most powerful supercomputer, to compute the nuclear structure of nickel-78, consisting of 28 protons and 50 neutrons, and found that this neutron-rich nucleus is indeed doubly magic.

First Results of NSTX-U Research Operations Presented at the International Atomic Energy Agency Conference in Kyoto, Japan

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratories (PPPL) and collaborating institutions presented results from research on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) last week at the 26th International Atomic Energy Agency Conference (IAEA) in Kyoto, Japan.

Deep Down Fracking Wells, Microbial Communities Thrive

Scientists led by researchers at Ohio State University found that microbes actually consume some of the chemical ingredients commonly used in the fracking process, creating new compounds which in turn support microbial communities below ground.

Addition of Seventh HFIR Cycle Provides More Research Time for the User Community

For the first time since 2011, scientific users of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s High Flux Isotope Reactor were able to take advantage of a seventh cycle, allowing for 25 extra days of neutron production and available time for new experiments on HFIR’s 12 beam lines in fiscal year 2016.

Quantum-Dot Solar Windows Evolve with ‘Doctor-Blade’ Spreading

A Los Alamos National Laboratory research team demonstrates an important step in taking quantum dot, solar-powered windows from the laboratory to the construction site by proving that the technology can be scaled up from palm-sized demonstration models to windows large enough to put in and power a building.

Argonne Researchers Posit Way to Locally Circumvent Second Law of Thermodynamics

One implication for the research could be a way to one day remotely power a device — that is, the energy expended to light the lamp could take place anywhere.

Cancer's Big Data Problem

Researchers at Argonne, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories are using the DOE supercomputers and sophisticated computational models to find patterns in large datasets of cancer data, seeking to understand key protein interactions, predict drug response and automate patient information extraction to inform treatment strategies.

Read more about Cancer's Big Data Problem

Unraveling the Science Behind Biomass Breakdown

A team led by Jeremy Smith, a University of Tennessee (UT)–ORNL Governor’s Chair and the director of the UT–ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics (CMB), used computer simulations to uncover the chemical reaction that helps break down biomass for biofuel.

Ames National Laboratory Scientists Gain Insight on Mechanism of Unconventional Superconductivity

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory and partner institutions conducted a systematic investigation into the properties of the newest family of unconventional superconducting materials, iron-based compounds.

Sarah Cousineau: Accelerating the Field of Physics, Literally

Physicist Sarah Cousineau oversees beam physics research efforts creating neutrons for scientific research at the SNS accelerator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and she oversees the next generation of physicists at the nearby University of Tennessee.

Building a Room Clean Enough to Make Sensors to Find Light From the Birth of the Universe

Work is underway at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Argonne National Laboratory on a new "clean room." The new lab will be specially suited for building parts for ultra-sensitive detectors — such as those to carry out improved X-ray research, or for the South Pole Telescope to search for light from the early days of the universe.

‘Super Yeast’ Has the Power to Improve Economics of Biofuels

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) have found a way to nearly double the efficiency with which Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a commonly used industrial yeast strain, converts plant sugars to biofuel.