News Archive | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Made in the USA: Department of Energy Labs Help Advance Technology to Ensure Supply of Key Medical Isotopes

In February 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first Mo-99 that is domestically produced without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU). Wisconsin-based NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes will produce Mo-99 in Missouri using a neutron-capture process that does not rely on the use of any uranium, but rather, stable molybdenum target material. Until recently, foreign vendors supplied 100 percent of the parent isotope, which was mostly produced using HEU.

PPPL Physicists to Create New X-ray Diagnostics for the WEST Fusion Device in France

A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has won a DOE Office of Science award to develop new X-ray diagnostics for WEST — the Tungsten (W) Environment in Steady-state Tokamak — in Cadarache, France.

Quark Matter 2018: Nuclear Physicists Gather to Discuss Fundamental Particle Interactions

Nuclear physicists from around the world seeking to understand the intricate details of the building blocks of visible matter are meeting in Venice, Italy, May 13-19, to discuss the latest results and theoretical interpretations of data from the world’s premiere collider facilities.

ORNL Scientists, Collaborators Prepare for a Summer of Science in the Arctic

For the past six years, some 140 scientists from five institutions have traveled to the Arctic Circle and beyond to gather field data as part of the Department of Energy-sponsored NGEE Arctic project.

Profiling Extreme Beams: Scientists Devise New Diagnostic for Cutting-Edge and Next-Gen Particle Accelerators

The world’s cutting-edge particle accelerators are pushing the extremes in high-brightness beams and ultrashort pulses to explore matter in new ways. To optimize their performance – and to prepare for next-generation facilities that will push these extremes further – scientists have devised a new tool that can measure how bright these beams are, even for pulses that last only quadrillionths or even quintillionths of a second.

Taking the Stress out of Residual Stress Mapping

Researchers from the University of Virginia (UVA) are using neutrons to explore fundamental work in residual stress mapping that promises more precise science down the road for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and similar facilities around the world.

Nanodiamonds are Forever

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have created a very-low-friction dry lubricant that has hundreds of industrial applications and can be used virtually wherever two pieces of metal rub together in dry conditions.

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SLAC’s X-ray Laser Opens New View on Proteins Related to Alzheimer’s Disease

Experiments at SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source show the promise of using X-ray free-electron lasers to better understand the structure and function of amyloid fibrils, tiny protein strands that play a role in diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Revealing the Mysteries of Superconductors: Ames Lab’s New Scope Takes a Closer Look

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory has successfully demonstrated that a new type of optical magnetometer, the NV magnetoscope, can map a unique feature of superconductive materials that along with zero resistance defines the superconductivity itself.

The Weak Side of the Proton

A new result from the Q-weak experiment at the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility provides a precision test of the weak force, one of four fundamental forces in nature.

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A Diverse Team of Atmospheric Scientists Goes to Work in an Evolving Arctic

At Oliktok Point, on the North Slope of Alaska, a broadly skilled team of scientists from the University of Colorado, Boulder gathers and analyzes data to advance understanding of the arctic atmosphere.

Powerful Hurricanes Strengthen Faster Now Than 30 Years Ago

According to scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a climate cycle known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation or AMO is central to the increasing intensification of hurricanes, broadly affecting conditions like sea temperature that are known to influence hurricanes.