Feature Channels: Nuclear Physics

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Physicists report new evidence that production of an exotic state of matter in collisions of gold nuclei at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) can be 'turned off' by lowering the collision energy. The findings will help physicists map out the conditions of temperature and density under which the exotic matter, known as a quark-gluon plasma (QGP), can exist and identify key features of the phases of nuclear matter.

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Atomic nuclei take a range of shapes, from spherical to football-like deformed. Spherical nuclei are often described by the motion of a small fraction of the protons and neutrons, while deformed nuclei tend to rotate as a collective whole. A third kind of motion, nuclear vibration, has been proposed since the 1950s. However, a new investigation of cadmium-106 nuclei found that these nuclei rotate, not vibrate, counter to scientists’ expectations.

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With larger, purer shipments on a more frequent basis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is moving closer to routine production of promethium-147.

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Nuclear physicists have found a way to peer inside the deepest recesses of atomic nuclei, according to a new study.

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In the past several years, nuclear physics researchers have initiated a flurry of machine learning projects and published many papers on the subject. A new survey by 18 authors from 11 institutions summarizes this work to provide an educational resource and a roadmap for future endeavors in the field.

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Below are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Chemistry news channel on Newswise.

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Let’s see, thought James Vary, how can we have a little fun with the name of our $1 million nuclear physics project?

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Scientists from The Ohio State University have a new theory about how the building blocks of life – the many proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids that compose every organism on Earth – may have evolved to favor a certain kind of molecular structure.

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Instruments that measure subatomic particles in nuclear physics experiment generate enormous amounts of data. Nuclear physicists are turning to artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to process this torrent. Recent tests of two systems that use machine learning and artificial intelligence-based streaming readout found that these systems were able to perform real-time processing of raw experimental data.

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Nuclear energy provides a fifth of total U.S. electrical power and half of its clean electricity. With new results from one scientist’s study of computer vision at Argonne National Laboratory’s IVEM facility, it may do even more.

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Characterizing plutonium is important to environmental studies, nuclear plant and materials safety, and studies of nucleosynthesis and neutron star mergers. Scientists therefore need ways to detect ultra-trace amounts of plutonium. Researchers have now used special lasers to study the fingerprints of plutonium’s photoionization. The technique allowed researchers to identify ultra-trace amounts of plutonium atoms at record levels of efficiency.

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A public-private alliance, convened by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Argonne National Laboratory, released an action plan to accelerate the creation of a robust domestic manufacturing base and supply chain for lithium-based batteries.

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The protons and neutrons that build the nucleus of the atom frequently pair up in fleeting partnerships called short-range correlations. These can form between a proton and a neutron, between two protons, or between two neutrons. Scientists recently discovered that in helium-3 and tritium, which have small, light nuclei, some types of correlations are less common than they are in larger, heavier nuclei.

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Recent experiments involving a tiny left-right asymmetry in electron scattering off lead-208 and calcium-48 indicate a disagreement between the experiments’ results and the predictions of global nuclear models. This result indicates a need to investigate limitations of current nuclear models or other sources of uncertainty. This has repercussions for scientists studying topics from neutron skins to nuclear symmetry energy to neutron star physics.

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The U.S. Department of Energy presented distinguished team awards to one Argonne team of eight whose conversion of nuclear research reactors makes the world safer, and to one Argonne scientist from a diverse team of 43 whose work advances the future of aviation fuels.

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The plasma in a fusion device can erode device walls, releasing particles in a process called sputtering. These particles can reduce a device’s performance and lifespan. In this study, researchers examined how the smoothness of device surfaces changes at small scales over time and how this affects erosion. This research will aid in the future design and operation of fusion power plants.

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Argonne National Laboratory will be partnering with three companies as part of a voucher program provided by the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear program of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy.

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Experts assembling sPHENIX, a state-of-the-art particle detector at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, successfully installed a major tracking component on Jan. 19. The Time Projection Chamber, or TPC, is one of the final pieces to move into place before sPHENIX begins tracking particle smash-ups at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) this spring.

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) popular lecture series, “Science on Saturday,” returns Feb. 4 and runs through Feb. 25 at a new location: Las Positas College.

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Sandia National Laboratories, in partnership with Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national labs, has awarded a contract to AMD that funds research and development of advanced memory technologies expected to accelerate high-performance simulation and computing applications in support of the nation’s stockpile stewardship mission.

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Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, visited DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory on Jan. 27 to celebrate the fast-approaching debut of a state-of-the-art particle detector known as sPHENIX. The house-sized, 1000-ton detector is slated to begin collecting data at Brookhaven Lab’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), a DOE Office of Science User Facility for nuclear physics research, this spring.

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A regional partnership that aims to attract nuclear energy-related firms to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has been recognized with a state and local economic development award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium.

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IU physicist Adam Szczepaniak is leading a project exploring the physics of exotic hadrons — a largely unexplored group of subatomic particles — under a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Mexican-born physicist Carlos Hernandez-Garcia has been honored by the Mexican Community of Particle Accelerators with an inaugural award for outstanding contributions to Mexico’s particle accelerator community. The award was established and has been named in his honor.

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Tungsten heavy alloys show promise for nuclear fusion energy development, according to new research conducted at PNNL.

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Nine postdoctoral appointees were recognized with Postdoctoral Performance Awards.

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Given the choice of three different “spin” orientations, certain particles emerging from collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), an atom smasher at Brookhaven National Laboratory, appear to have a preference. Recent results reveal a preference in global spin alignment of particles called phi mesons.

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Below are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Space and Astronomy channel on Newswise, a free source for journalists.

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The word “exotic” may not spark thoughts of uranium, but Tyler Spano’s investigations of exotic phases of uranium are bringing new knowledge to the nuclear nonproliferation industry. Spano, a nuclear security scientist at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and her colleagues examined four previously understudied phases of uranium oxide: beta (β-), delta (δ-), epsilon UO3 (ε-UO3) and beta U3O8 (β-U3O8).

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At ITER – the world’s largest experimental fusion reactor, currently under construction in France through international cooperation – the abrupt termination of magnetic confinement of a high temperature plasma through a so-called “disruption” poses a major open issue.

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Argonne researchers receive award for work securing America’s stockpile.

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Nuclear physicists have found a new way to use the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)—a particle collider at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory—to see the shape and details inside atomic nuclei. The method relies on particles of light that surround gold ions as they speed around the collider and a new type of quantum entanglement that’s never been seen before.

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New PNNL research makes it easier to differentiate between chemical and nuclear explosions.

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Physicists, engineers, and technicians at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory are rounding out the year with key developments to a house-sized particle detector that will begin capturing collision snapshots for the first time next spring. The state-of-the-art, three-story, 1,000-ton detector—known as sPHENIX—will precisely track particles streaming from collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), a DOE Office of Science user facility for nuclear physics research.

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Argonne researchers put their stamp on 2022 with accomplishments as varied as quantum science, wearable medical sensors, and climate change resilience and recovery.

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The recent achievement of fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) marks a monumental scientific step in controlling the physics involved in the quest for future limitless clean energy.

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Researchers are combining experimental, theoretical, and observational data on neutron stars to constrain the equation of state (EOS) and to glean the composition of their interiors. Different techniques probe the EOS at different densities, thereby creating a “density ladder” that aims to connect the various rungs. The findings indicate a possible phase transition in the interior of neutron stars.

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The proton is the only composite building block of matter that is stable in nature, making its properties key to understanding the formation of matter. A team of physicists measured the proton’s electric polarizability, which characterizes the proton’s susceptibility to deformation, or its “stretchability,” in the presence of a photon’s electromagnetic field. The results reveal a puzzling new structure – a bump in the polarizability that nuclear theory cannot explain.

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Scientists in the STAR collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have published a comprehensive analysis aimed at determining which factors most influence fluctuations in the flow of particles from heavy ion collisions. The results will help scientists zero in on key properties of a unique form of matter that mimics the early universe.

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Scientists at Baltic Federal University have suggested evaluating concentration and chemical composition of drugs by means of vibrational spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance instead of conventional complex approaches

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When the nuclei of atoms are about to collide in an experiment, their centers never perfectly align along the direction of relative motion, leading to complex collisions. A deblurring algorithm from optics can help nuclear physicists examine the pattern of emissions from these collisions as if the initial nuclear centers were under tight control.

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In a recent study, Argonne National Laboratory researchers showed how artificial intelligence could help pinpoint the right types of molten salts for nuclear reactors.

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A new way to study quarks, one of the building blocks of the protons and neutrons that make up atomic nuclei, is proposed.

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A new computational analysis by theorists at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Wayne State University supports the idea that photons (a.k.a. particles of light) colliding with heavy ions can create a fluid of "strongly interacting" particles. In a new paper they show that calculations describing such a system match up with data collected by the ATLAS detector at Europe's Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

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Argonne scientists were awarded Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing projects in nuclear and high energy physics, and Earth system model development. They will partner with DOE national labs to connect experts and high performance computers.

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The University of Texas at El Paso in partnership with the University of New Mexico and the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will prepare the next generation of nuclear security enterprise talent to develop electronics for extreme environments through a five-year, $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.