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

The chart of nuclides sorts isotopes by their proton vs. neutron numbers. This region shows newly discovered isotopes (yellow) that were produced at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams by fragmenting a stable platinum-198 beam (orange outline).

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams Observes Five Never-Before-Seen Isotopes

The discovery of new isotopes demonstrates the user facility’s discovery potential.

The Potassium Decay (KDK) Collaboration used the KDK array to detect a previously unmeasured process in the radioactive decay of potassium-40 to argon-40 involving a rare type of electron capture.

The KDK Collaboration Identifies Rare Nuclear Decay in Long-Lived Potassium Isotope

The observation of a rare potassium-40 decay aids in estimating neutrinoless double-beta decay half-life and dating geological features.

Exploring the gluon saturation in a large nucleus is one of the goals of the future Electron-Ion Collider. Researchers proposed a nucleon energy-energy correlation approach that provides a unique probe of the onset of gluon saturation.

New Method Could Explore Gluon Saturation at the Future Electron-Ion Collider

Theorists propose nucleon energy-energy correlator as a probe to the gluon saturation phenomena at the future electron-ion collider.

Left: partitions where the set of blue points occupy one region and the set of black points another region, similar to how many systems work. Right: the partitions that occur in nuclei, where the partitions of blue and black points occupy the same regions.

Entanglement Entropies of Nuclear Systems Grow as the Volume of those Systems

Quantum entanglement changes in atomic nuclei in ways that differ from other systems.

Left: “Mirror” nuclei lithium-8 and boron-8 undergo beta decay, then split into two alpha particles. Right: Radioactive ions from the ATLAS accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory are suspended in vacuum using an ion trap device.

New Beta-Decay Measurements in Mirror Nuclei Pin Down the Weak Nuclear Force

Scientists develop a new method to characterize the properties of one of the four fundamental forces of nature.

Like desert wildflowers that bloom after rain, soil bacteria have evolved life strategies that determine when and where they grow. Having a small, streamlined genome may help some bacteria survive in dry soils.

Soil Bacteria Link their Life Strategies to Soil Conditions

Assessing the genomes of soil bacteria around the globe, researchers identified three dominant life strategies linked to different types of soil.

A scanning electron microscope image of the superconducting nanowire switch. Large electric output currents in the green channel can be switched on and off by small input currents in the red gate terminal. Blue is the superconducting ground plane.

Superconducting Electronics Show Promise for Future Collider Experiments

Scientists test a novel design for superconducting switches in magnetic fields.

The types of information in the NUBASE Nuclear Data library and the library’s other applications.

Database Supplies Recommended Key Properties for All Known Nuclei

Scientists in nuclear physics, astrophysics, energy, national security, and medicine use a source of recommended nuclear data to advance their research.

Water-soluble and oil-soluble organic molecules effectively separate different elements in the lanthanide series of the Periodic Table.

“Tug of War” Tactic Enhances Chemical Separations for Critical Materials

Opposing teams of water-loving and oil-loving molecules separate metals called lanthanides that are important in developing clean energy technologies.