The Roadmap to Quark Soup
Scientists discover new signposts in the quest to determine how matter from the early universe turned into the world we know today.
Neutrons Play the Lead to Protons in Dance Around "Double-Magic" Nucleus
Electric and magnetic properties of a radioactive atom provide unique insight into the nature of proton and neutron motion.
Ultrafast Imaging Reveals the Electron's New Clothes
Scientists use high-speed electrons to visualize "dress-like" distortions in the atomic lattice. This work reveals the vital role of electron-lattice interactions in manganites. This material could be used in data-storage devices with increased data density and reduced power requirements.
One Small Change Makes Solar Cells More Efficient
For years, scientists have explored using tiny drops of designer materials, called quantum dots, to make better solar cells. Adding small amounts of manganese decreases the ability of quantum dots to absorb light but increases the current produced by an average of 300%.
Electronic "Cyclones" at the Nanoscale
Through highly controlled synthesis, scientists controlled competing atomic forces to let spiral electronic structures form. These polar vortices can serve as a precursor to new phenomena in materials. The materials could be vital for ultra-low energy electronic devices.
In a Flash! A New Way for Making Ceramics
A new process controllably but instantly consolidates ceramic parts, potentially important for manufacturing.
Deciphering Material Properties at the Single-Atom Level
Scientists determine the precise location and identity of all 23,000 atoms in a nanoparticle.
Smallest Transistor Ever
It has long been thought that building nanometer-sized transistors was impossible. Simply put, the physics and atomic structural imperfections couldn't be overcome. However, scientists built fully functional, nanometer-sized transistors.
Creation of Artificial Atoms
For the first time, scientists created a tunable artificial atom in graphene. The results from this research demonstrate a viable, controllable, and reversible technique to confine electrons in graphene.
Developing Tools to Understand Lithium-Ion Battery Instabilities
Scientists develop tools to understand Li-ion battery instabilities, enabling the study of electrodes and solid-electrolyte interphase formation.
Skyrmions Created with a Special Spiral
Researchers at Argonne have found a way to control the creation of special textured surfaces, called skyrmions, in magnetically ordered materials.
How Did the Proton Get Its Spin?
Scientists once thought proton spin was simple to understand. However, after experiments in the 1980s proved their ideas wrong, researchers have been working to understand how the proton's components contribute to its spin. Scientists use the unique capabilities of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, both DOE Office of Science user facilities, to explore this fundamental phenomenon.
Modeling the "Flicker" of Gluons in Subatomic Smashups
A new model identifies a high degree of fluctuations in the glue-like particles that bind quarks within protons as essential to explaining proton structure.
Rare Nickel Atom Has "Doubly Magic" Structure
Supercomputing calculations confirm that rare nickel-78 has unusual structure, offering insights into supernovas.
Microbial Activity in the Subsurface Contributes to Greenhouse Gas Fluxes
Natural carbon dioxide production from deep subsurface soils contributes significantly to emissions, even in a semiarid floodplain.
Stretching a Metal Into an Insulator
Straining a thin film controllably allows tuning of the materials' magnetic, electronic, and catalytic properties, essential for new energy and electronic devices.
How Moisture Affects the Way Soil Microbes Breathe
Study models soil-pore features that hold or release carbon dioxide.
ARM Data Is for the Birds
Scientists use LIDAR and radar data to study bird migration patterns, thanks to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility.
Microbial Community Interactions Drive Methane Consumption in Lakes
Understanding interactions among organisms in complex microbial communities sheds new light on a globally significant environmental process.
New CRISPR-Cas, Gene Editing Systems, Discovered in Vast DNA Sequence Dataset
Researchers discover the first CRISPR-Cas9 system in archaea, which may enable new technologies for biological research.
Underestimating Clouds
Feedbacks of clouds on climate change strongly influence the magnitude of global warming.
Earth's Viral Diversity Unveiled
New publicly available database of DNA viruses and retroviruses debuts.
Ion-Electron Collisions Can Heal Material Defects
Bombarding a material with high-energy charged atoms heals, rather than damages, the atomic structure, which could lead to longer-lasting components for extreme environments.
Sugar Hitches a Ride on Sea Spray
Sticky molecules hop aboard oily floaters and may influence the amount of sunlight reflected by marine clouds.
How to Achieve Unconventional Superconductivity in a Heavy-Electron Metal
Microscopic understanding offers fresh directions for discovering new materials to transmit energy without loss.