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

Dark Energy Survey Discovers Potential New Dwarf Planet

Dark Energy Survey (DES) scientists recently reported the discovery of a potential dwarf planet located 92 times farther from the sun than the Earth is, more than twice as distant as Pluto. The new dwarf planet was discovered using the Dark Energy Camera, a scientific instrument built at Fermilab to probe the mystery of dark energy.

New Limits in the Search for Sterile Neutrinos

New searches for sterile neutrinos, hypothetical particles that do not directly “talk to” any particles in the Standard Model, significantly narrow the remaining regions where these particles may be hiding.

Neutrons Identify Key Ingredients of the Quantum Spin Liquid Recipe

Neutron scattering studies of a rare earth metal oxide have identified fundamental pieces to the quantum spin liquid puzzle, revealing a better understanding of how and why the magnetic moments within these materials exhibit exotic behaviors such as failing to freeze into an ordered arrangement even near absolute zero temperatures.

Jefferson Lab–NVIDIA Collaboration Uses Titan to Boost Subatomic Particle Research

Jefferson Lab researchers and Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility teams are using the Titan supercomputer to gain unprecedented insight into subatomic particle interactions after refining computer codes for quantum chromodynamic applications to run more efficiently and effectively, achieving speedups ranging from seven-to-tenfold.

Magnetic Reconnection Research Sheds Light on Explosive Phenomena in Astrophysics and Fusion Experiments

Physicists Masaaki Yamada of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Ellen Zweibel of the University of Wisconsin-Madison have provided a major perspective on four key problems in magnetic reconnection that triggers explosive phenomena throughout the universe.

Machine Learning Enables Predictive Modeling of 2-D Materials

Researchers at the Center for Nanoscale Materials and the Advanced Photon Source, both U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facilities at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, announced the use of machine learning tools to accurately predict the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of nanomaterials.

Scientists Track Chemical and Structural Evolution of Catalytic Nanoparticles in 3D

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory used a high-resolution electron microscope to study nanoscale details of catalytic particles made of nickel and cobalt—inexpensive alternatives to the costly platinum used in most fuel cells.

Q&A with CFN User Don DiMarzio

Don DiMarzio is an engineering fellow at Northrop Grumman and a senior scientist within the company’s advanced research, development, design, and demonstration group NG Next, where he studies nanomaterials and radio-frequency metamaterials.

New Study of Water-Saving Plants Advances Efforts to Develop Drought-Resistant Crops

As part of an effort to develop drought-resistant food and bioenergy crops, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have uncovered the genetic and metabolic mechanisms that allow certain plants to conserve water and thrive in semi-arid climates.

Udaya Kalluri: A Contagious Enthusiasm for Plant Science

A 10-year scientist in the Biosciences Division at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Kalluri focuses her work around lab programs such as DOE’s BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) to create better biofuels, improve plant productivity, and study beneficial plant-microbe interactions.

Cooling Technique Helps Researchers “Target” a Major Component for a New Collider

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Argonne National Laboratory have recently developed a new ultra-low-friction sliding contact mechanism that uses chilled water to remove heat from a key component of a next-generation collider.

PPPL and Max Planck Physicists Confirm the Precision of Magnetic Fields in the Most Advanced Stellarator in the World

Physicist Sam Lazerson of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has teamed with German scientists to confirm that the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) fusion energy device called a stellarator in Greifswald, Germany, produces high-quality magnetic fields that are consistent with their complex design.