Scientists Probe the Source of Key Hydrocarbons on Earth--and in Space
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of organic molecules that scientists believe are responsible for chemical processes that eventually lead to soot and carbonaceous nanoparticles on Earth and in space. However, scientists do not fully understand the role of reactions involving two free radicals in how PAHs form in extreme environments.
'Computer vision' reveals unprecedented physical and chemical details of how a lithium-ion battery works
Looking at X-ray movies with computer vision gives researchers an incredible new view of how nanoparticles in a lithium-ion battery electrode work during charging and discharging.
Life in boiling water
Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists studied hot springs on different continents and found similarities in how some microbes adapted despite their geographic diversity. The findings yield clues to the evolution of life and whether some of the hardiest microbes may be harnessed for biotechnology.
Charging ahead: New electrolyte goes extra mile for faster EV charging
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are taking fast charging for electric vehicles, or EVs, to new extremes.
Researchers Create a New Window on Leading Genetic Cause of Alzheimer's
Scientists have opened a new view into the workings of the brain and central nervous system, detecting a diverse set of important molecules known as lipoproteins. The most common protein on the particles is apolipoprotein E; one form of APOE puts people at higher risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Plastic Deformation Engineering Dramatically Enhances Quantum Phenomena
Researchers have discovered that applying plastic deformation to the quantum material strontium titanate causes defects (known as dislocations) to organize themselves into repeating structures. These changes lead to improvements of strontium titanate's superconducting and ferroelectric properties.
New Material Enables an Ultrafast Electron Diffraction Probe for Quantum Materials
Quantum materials' properties arise from the interaction of their electrons and atomic nuclei. Researchers can observe these interactions as they happen using ultrafast X-ray or electron beam pulses.
Valleytronics is Warming Up at Brookhaven Lab
Researchers at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Northrop Grumman, a multinational aerospace and defense technology company, have found a way to maintain valley polarization at room temperature using novel materials and techniques.
Previously unknown pathway to batteries with high energy, low cost and long life
With the help of high-resolution imaging techniques in real time, scientists have uncovered a mechanism for improving the electrochemical reactions that occur upon charge and discharge of lithium-sulfur batteries.
Capturing the Chemistry of Radium-223 for Cancer Treatment
Researchers seeking to improve the use of radium-223 to target cancer cells investigated how the isotope interacts with two chelators, macropa and DOTA. Experiments and computer-driven models discovered that macropa is the strongest chelator for binding radium identified so far.
Closing in on the Elusive Neutrino
Neutrino mass, a crucial piece of many unresolved physics puzzles, may one day be revealed through a novel measurement system that has just proven its mettle: Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy (CRES).
X-ray Spectral Microscopy Reveals The Active Edges of a Water-Splitting Material
Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is a key process for energy storage. The chemical transitions involved in splitting water require energy, so researchers are designing more efficient new electrodes with energy saving catalytic properties.
Researchers use AI to find new magnetic materials without critical elements
A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory developed a new machine learning model for discovering critical-element-free permanent magnet materials based on the predicted Curie temperature of new material combinations.
Scientists Make the First Observation of a Nucleus Decaying into Four Particles After Beta Decay
Scientists have observed a rare new radioactive decay mode for the first time. In this decay mode, oxygen-13 (with eight protons and five neutrons) decays by breaking into three helium nuclei (an atom without the surrounding electrons), a proton, and a positron (the antimatter version of an electron) following beta decay. The findings expand scientific knowledge of decay processes and the properties of the nucleus before the decay.
Researchers Test Quantum Theory with Precision-Engineered Thin Films
Comparing experimental results and theoretical calculations can be difficult for quantum materials. One solution is to use sample materials that isolate and emphasize an atomic line with one dimensional properties. In this study, scientists grew thin films of layered copper-oxygen materials to experimentally test theories of electron interaction in quantum materials. The study indicates that standard theory is not sufficient and requires a new term to fit the experimental data.
Transforming Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment with Cerium/Lanthanum-134
Actinium-targeted alpha radiotherapy is a promising approach for treating metastatic cancers, including prostate cancer. However, therapeutic substances labeled with actinium-225 have limits on how they can be imaged, a step that allows doctors to plan treatments. This study examined the performance of cerium/lanthanum-134 as a surrogate imaging material for Ac-225.
Calculations Predict Surprising Quark Diffusion in Hot Nuclear Matter
Tracking how high energy jets of quarks travel through the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) can reveal information about the QGP's properties. Recent theoretical calculations that include non-local quantum interactions in the QGP predict a super-diffusive process that deflects energetic particles faster than previously assumed. The discovery might help explain why the QGP flows like a nearly perfect liquid.
AtomAI Brings Deep Learning to Microscopy Data Analysis Software
Electron and scanning probe microscopes have become critical tools for condensed matter physics, materials science, and chemistry research.
How to Prepare your Home for Summer Heat Waves
From covering windows and planting trees, to upgrading your air conditioning system--PNNL scientists offer tips to keep your home cool in extreme heat
Advances in Quantum Emitters Mark Progress Toward a Quantum Internet
A team of Berkeley Lab researchers has recently demonstrated a more effective technique for creating quantum emitters using pulsed ion beams, which could lead to their use in a quantum internet and for sensing radiation.
Ringing Protons Give Insight into Early Universe
An experiment to explore the 3D structures of nucleon resonances - excited states of protons and neutrons -- at Jefferson Lab offers critical insights into the basic building blocks of matter and has added one more puzzle piece to the vast picture of the chaotic, nascent universe that existed just after the Big Bang.
New Insights into How Strange Matter Interacts with Ordinary Matter
Scientists reported the first observations of how hypernuclei flow from particle collisions. The researchers observed that the hypernuclei flow much the same as ordinary nuclei in a way that scales with their overall nuclear mass.
Making Big Leaps in Understanding Nanoscale Gaps
Creating novel materials by combining layers with unique, beneficial properties seems like a fairly intuitive process--stack up the materials and stack up the benefits.
In Preparation for DUNE, Scientists Examine Modern Nuclear Theory for Neutrino Oscillation Physics
Predictions of neutrino-nucleon interaction made using the Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (LQCD) nuclear theory method predict stronger interaction than predictions determined from older, less precise experimental data.
Scientists discover shortcut that aids the design of twisty fusion facilities
Scientists have found a mathematical shortcut that could help harness fusion energy, a potential source of clean electricity that could mitigate floods, heat waves, and other rising effects of climate change.