As demand for energy-intensive computing grows, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new technique that lets scientists see — in unprecedented detail — how interfaces move in promising materials for computing and other applications. The method, now available to users at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at ORNL, could help design dramatically more energy-efficient technologies.
Industry and academia are collaborating to build a world-first, cost-effective concentrated solar thermal (CST) demonstrator that is set to transform Australia’s industrial heat sector by reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.
From the powdered wings of a butterfly to the icy spines of a snowflake, symmetry is a common feature in nature. Now, nuclear physicists conducting experiments at Jefferson Lab have found new and unexpected cases of broken isospin symmetry.
Researchers have developed two unique energy-efficient and cost-effective systems that use urea found in urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen. The unique systems reveal new pathways to economically generate ‘green’ hydrogen, a sustainable and renewable energy source, and the potential to remediate nitrogenous waste in aquatic environments.
1,049 undergraduate students and 90 faculty will participate in unique hands-on research and technical training at Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories and a fusion facility during Summer 2025.
NASA released three new pieces of cosmic sound Thursday that are associated with the densest and darkest members of our universe: black holes. These scientific productions are sonifications – or translations into sound – of data collected by NASA telescopes in space including the Chandra X-ray Observatory, James Webb Space Telescope, and Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE).
A team of Ames Lab researchers at the Critical Materials Innovation Hub has developed a new, safer, scalable method for producing rare earth metals that utilizes the Ames Process.
A team of researchers and industry partners led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy Ames National Laboratory developed a rare-earth-free bonded magnet that not only retains its magnetism at high temperatures, but its coercivity nearly doubles with a 100°C (212°F) increase from room temperature.
The Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a sneaky black hole that betrayed its presence in a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE), where a hapless star was ripped apart and swallowed in a spectacular burst of radiation. Unlike previously observed TDEs, which took place in the center of a galaxy, this event was thousands of light-years from its galactic center. This is the first offset TDE captured by optical sky surveys, and it opens up the entire possibility of uncovering this elusive population of wandering black holes with future sky surveys.
The TDE black hole is far enough away from the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole that they are not gravitationally bound to each other as a binary pair. And, astronomers don’t know if the roaming black hole is coming or going. Did it fall into the galaxy as a result of a merger between two galaxies? Or was it kicked out of a “wresting ring” where three supermassive black hole dynamically interacted?
Microbiologist and entrepreneur Jesse Labbé excels at cultivating discovery and innovation. As the new director of the Biosciences Division at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, he’s leading a team focused on science and technologies to boost U.S. competitiveness, strengthen national and energy security and advance human health.
A collaboration of scientists tested next-generation superconducting microwire single photon detectors (SMSPDs) at Fermilab to further particle physics research.
Stony Brook University Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy Jennifer Cano was named a Chancellor’s Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship. This inaugural award from the State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John B. King, honors early career tenured and tenure track faculty whose scholarly or creative activities have already achieved significant recognition and crucially, hold strong promise for field-defining impact in the future. This award was given to 10 professors throughout the SUNY system.
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) predicts that as the collision energy in quark-gluon interactions increases, a state called gluon saturation will form inside a proton. This happens when the processes of gluons splitting into more gluons balances out the process of gluons merging.
Sixbert Muhoza is recognized by the National Postdoctoral Association for his achievements in supporting postdoctoral communities and advancing their core mission.
Scientists from China have developed a breakthrough asynchronous optical computing accelerator based on wavelength encoding. This architecture overcomes synchronization challenges in conventional optical recurrent processors, significantly reducing both the energy consumption of electronic components and the complexity of optical layout design. The chip enables efficient computing for large-scale AI tasks, such as DNA analysis and speech recognition, while achieving high energy efficiency.
Two teams of campus-affiliated entrepreneurs, in partnership with programs such as the ISU Startup Factory, are turning their ideas into startup companies producing energy.
To create a more resilient electric grid that meets the nation’s increasing power demands, utilities are incorporating a wider array of energy sources. But this shift requires the ability to predict how the grid will react to fluctuations in the flow of electricity from new sources of power. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a dynamic modeling method that uses machine learning to provide accurate simulations of grid behavior while maintaining what is called a “black box” approach. This technique does not require details about the proprietary technology inside the equipment — in this case, a type of power electronics called an inverter. Engineers incorporated the new modeling capability into an open-source software tool and demonstrated its success with different scenarios and inverter brands.
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