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Physical and Life Sciences
Diving into the structure of molten salts in tight spaces
Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs), a special class of molten salts, promise far greater electrochemical performance compared to conventional aqueous solutions due to a suite of novel and tunable properties. Over the past two decades, ILs have been explored as a means of improving a range of different technologies, from energy storage and conversion to catalysis to…
New analysis narrows range in climate sensitivity
The most advanced and comprehensive analysis of climate sensitivity undertaken has revealed with more confidence than ever how sensitive the Earth’s climate is to carbon dioxide. Climate warming depends on the changing composition of the atmosphere, and the “climate sensitivity” represents the dominant indicator of change, defined as the increase of global air temperature…
Lab scientist wins outstanding doctoral thesis award
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Yuan Shi has earned the American Physical Society’s (APS) Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis award for his work in plasma physics. The award recognizes exceptional young scientists who have performed original thesis work of outstanding scientific quality and achievement in plasma physics. The citation…
Lawrence Livermore, Tyvak Systems announce agreement to develop telescopes for nanosatellites
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc. have reached a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to develop innovative compact and robust telescopes for nanosatellites. The four-year, $2 million CRADA will combine LLNL’s Monolithic Telescope (MonoTele) technology with Tyvak’s expertise producing high-reliability…
E-waste-eating protein extracts rare earth elements
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers, in collaboration with Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), have designed a new process, based on a naturally occurring protein, that could extract and purify rare earth elements (REE) from low-grade sources. It could offer a new avenue toward a more diversified and sustainable…
Increases in greenhouse gas, particulate pollution emissions drive regional drying around the globe
Despite devastating impacts of drought on human and natural systems, the reasons why long-term regional drying occurs remain poorly understood. Research led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists has identified two signatures or “fingerprints” that explain why arid conditions are spreading worldwide, and why the Western United States has tended toward…
Expanding Embolization Success
Scientists from Livermore and Texas A&M University along with California-based startup Shape Memory Medical, Inc., have improved upon existing technologies with the IMPEDE® embolization plug, winner of a 2019 R&D 100 Award.
Summer students shine in desalination research
Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an emerging class of water desalination technologies that use cyclic charging and discharging of electrodes to reduce or enrich the salinity of incoming water. The desalination characteristics of CDI are strongly influenced by the resistive components of the system. To better understand this process, a team of Lawrence Livermore National…
Catching a wave to study granular material properties
Stress wave propagation through granular material is important for detecting the magnitude of earthquakes, locating oil and gas reservoirs, designing acoustic insulation and designing materials for compacting powders. A team of researchers including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Eric Herbold used X-ray measurements and analyses to show that…
Plasma science report highlights workforce gap, calls for increased national commitment to future experiments
The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released an assessment of the state and future of plasma sciences last month. Commissioned by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research, the report outlines recommendations for the advancement of plasma science and is…
DOE honors two early career Lab scientists
Two scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are recipients of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Early Career Research Program award. Federica Coppari and Erin Nuccio are among 76 scientists nationwide selected for the recognition. Under the program, typical awards for DOE national laboratory staff are $500,000 per year for five years…
New way to study how elements mix in giant planets
There are giants among us — gas and ice giants, to be specific. They orbit the same star, but their environmental conditions and chemical makeup are wildly different from those of Earth. These enormous planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus — can be seen as natural laboratories for the physics of matter at extreme temperatures and pressures. Now, an international…
Signaling breast cancer metastasis
Metastasis accounts for approximately 90 percent of mortality in breast cancer patients. During the last few decades, there has been significant progress in understanding genetic, molecular and signaling mechanisms underpinning cancer cell migration. Biologists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) found another mechanism that affects the maintenance and…
Experiments expose how powerful magnetic fields are generated in the aftermath of supernovae
In a paper recently published by Physical Review Letters, a team of researchers including scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) detail the first quantitative measurements of the magnetic field structure of plasma filamentation driven by the Weibel instability, using a novel optical Thompson scattering technique. These experiments study the processes…
Modeling neuronal cultures on 'brain-on-a-chip' devices
For the past several years, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers have made significant progress in development of a three-dimensional “brain-on-a-chip” device capable of recording neural activity of human brain cell cultures grown outside the body. Now, LLNL researchers have a way to computationally model the activity and structures of…
Shock waves created at NIF mimic astrophysical particle accelerators powered by exploding stars
When stars explode as supernovae, they produce shock waves so powerful they can blast streams of particles called cosmic rays into the universe at nearly the speed of light. Yet the exact mechanisms behind these phenomena remained mysteries for decades. Now, in experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), an international team of scientists from institutions…
Multi-lab research to improve COVID-19 diagnostics
In response to the ongoing need for COVID-19 testing, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) biologists are part of a collaborative research effort focused on improving the speed and accuracy of diagnostic tests, while enhancing the ability to adapt diagnostic tools as the virus evolves. Currently, the fastest way to identify known pathogens is by using a DNA-based…
Checking out iron under pressure
Iron is the most stable and heaviest chemical element produced by nucleosynthesis in stars, making it the most abundant heavy element in the universe and in the interiors of Earth and other rocky planets. To get a better understanding of the high-pressure behavior of iron, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist and international collaborators discovered…
Researchers Develop Novel Antireflective Metasurface for Laser Optics
LLNL scientists have discovered a new method to add an antireflective metasurface layer on laser optics glass.
NIF’s TARDIS Featured in Review of Scientific Instruments
A paper describing the design and performance of a workhorse NIF experimental platform known as TARDIS was a featured article in a recent edition of the journal Review of Scientific Instruments.
