Back
Physical and Life Sciences
New 'stealth dark matter' theory may explain mystery of the universe's missing mass
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have come up with a new theory that may identify why dark matter has evaded direct detection in Earth-based experiments.A group of national particle physicists known as the Lattice Strong Dynamics Collaboration, led by a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory team, has combined theoretical and computational physics…
Research lends new view of the Earth's core
There is more oxygen in the core of Earth than originally thought.Lawrence Livermore geologist Rick Ryerson and international colleagues discovered some new findings about Earth’s core and mantle by considering their geophysical and geochemical signatures together.This research provides insight into the origins of Earth’s formation.Based on the higher oxygen concentration…
Carbon research may boost nanoelectronics
The smallest of electronics could one day have the ability to turn on and off at an atomic scale.Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have investigated a way to create linear chains of carbon atoms from laser-melted graphite. The material, called carbyne, could have a number of novel properties, including the ability to adjust the amount of electrical current…
LLNL researcher takes aim at solar-cell reliability
A Lawrence Livermore National Lab engineer has been awarded $570,000 through the Department of Energy SunShot Initiative to explore spectroscopic technology as a means of detecting moisture buildup in solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. Over the next two years, Mihail Bora, a Materials Engineering Division (MED) research team member at the Lab, will try to prove that spectral…
Nerine Cherepy and Michael Pivovaroff elected senior members of optics and photonics society
LLNL researchers Nerine Cherepy and Michael Pivovaroff are among the 171 new senior members of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. Cherepy is being recognized for her "achievements in discovery and development of new scintillator materials and detectors," and Pivovaroff for his "achievements in design, fabrication and use of reflective X-ray optics."…
Construction to begin on world's largest camera
The Department of Energy has approved the start of construction for a 3.2-gigapixel digital camera — the world’s largest — for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).The construction milestone, known as Critical Decision 3, is the last major approval decision before the acceptance of the finished camera. Construction of the telescope was previously approved by the…
Lab scientist receives chemical society award
Laboratory geochemist Annie Kersting, who serves as the director of the Lab’s Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, has been selected to receive the 2016 American Chemical Society’s Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal for distinguished service to chemistry.The medal recognizes outstanding scientific achievement, leadership and service to chemistry by women and is a national award…
Supercapacitors Yield Energetic Secrets
In the race for advanced energy storage systems, researchers are increasingly turning to the supercapacitor, a seemingly straightforward device made attractive by its many advantages over most batteries, including higher power density, faster charge–discharge cycling, enhanced safety, lower cost, and better endurance.
Former Lawrence Livermore astrophysicist appointed director of UC Observatories
Longtime Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory astrophysicist Claire Max has shifted her focus to a new frontier as the recently appointed director of the University of California Observatories (UCO).After serving at the post on an interim basis for the past year, Max’s appointment to the directorship began July 1. Over the next five years, she will work with faculty,…
Giant galaxy collision triggered 'radio phoenix'
Astronomers have found evidence for a faded electron cloud "coming back to life," much like the mythical phoenix, after two galaxy clusters collided.This "radio phoenix," so-called because the high-energy electrons radiate primarily at radio frequencies, is found in Abell 1033. The system is located about 1.6 billion light years from Earth.By combining data from NASA’s…
Research award named after late LLNL scientist
The first Dr. Ian Hutcheon Post-Doctoral Fellowship award, to support research in nuclear forensics as part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office’s (DNDO) National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program, has been established. The fellowship honors the late Hutcheon, who significantly advanced America’s nuclear forensics…
Nanocrystals don't add up for reactor materials
Lawrence Livermore researchers have found that nanocrystalline materials do not necessarily resist radiation effects in nuclear reactors better than currently used materials.As researchers hunt for materials with the ability to withstand prolonged radiation damage, the use of nanostructured materials, with high interfacial area to absorb radiation-induced defects, has been…
Lawrence Livermore scientists' discovery of new young planet provides insight into Jupiter
For the first time, Lawrence Livermore scientists, as part of an international team, have discovered the most Jupiter-like planet ever seen in a young star system, lending clues to understanding how planets formed around our sun.Using a new advanced adaptive optics device on the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) on the Gemini South Telescope in Chile, the team took an image of…
Researchers reveal new electron ring formations
Laser wakefield acceleration, a process where electron acceleration is driven by high-powered lasers, is well-known for being able to produce high-energy beams of electrons in tabletop-scale distances. However, in recent experiments, a team of scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) revealed new,…
Berni Alder: A pioneer of the times
Father of molecular dynamics to celebrate 90th birthday, 60th anniversary at the LaboratoryBerni Alder was born in Germany, but was a Swiss citizen. In 1932, his family moved to Zurich, just before Hitler came to power.In 1941, when he was 16 years old, he fled Switzerland right before the United States entered World War II and took a sealed train through occupied France…
New experimental research exposes the strength of beryllium at extreme conditions
Until recently, there were very little experimental data about the behavior of beryllium (Be) at very high pressures and strain rates, with existing material models predicting very different behaviors in these regimes. In a successful example of international research collaboration, a team of scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Russian…
LLNL tops Physics of Plasma's most-cited list
Physics of Plasmas (PoP), a peer-reviewed journal publishing original experimental and theoretical contributions in plasma physics, recently released a list of the most-cited papers for January-June 2015.Out of the 30 most-cited papers on the list, the top five had lead authors from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. No. 8, 9 and 17 on the list were also led by LLNL,…
New experimental and theoretical research could help make more efficient windows
By tightly integrating experimental and theoretical techniques, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory team has provided fundamentally new insights into the specific factors that determine the absorption characteristics of copper complexes. The results demonstrate that conventional interpretations based on "ligand field theory" -- a staple concept in inorganic chemistry …
Project aims to use probiotic bacteria to protect algal crops and increase ecosystem resilience
A Lawrence Livermore team has received an additional $1 million to protect algal crops by developing "probiotic" bacteria to combat pond infestation and increase ecosystem function and resilience.Algal biomass can be converted to advanced biofuels that offer promising alternatives to petroleum-based diesel and jet fuels. Additionally, algae can be used to make a range of…
Stumbling into physics and sticking with it
While growing up in Puerto Rico, Miguel Morales was interested in basketball and volleyball and not much else.But that all changed when he picked up a science book."The idea of being an intellectual was not a popular thing," he said. "I stumbled into physics and all of a sudden there was nothing else for me. I sort of became obsessed with it and I spent all my time reading…
