Plants emit gases like methanol and acetic acid that are not directly related to photosynthesis but that have an unknown origin. Researchers have found a possible source: natural chemical modification in the cellulose in plant cell walls and accompanying metabolic changes.
Researchers demonstrated new ways to use electron microscopy to study liquids at high resolution. They used this technique to examine how nuclei in liquids and molecules vibrate at multiple length scales. This work can lead to new ways for scientists to describe liquids, the interfaces between fluids, and materials labeled with isotopes.
Evgenya I. Simakov is a staff scientist in the Accelerator Operations and Technology Division, Accelerators and Electrodynamics Group, at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Physicists at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have demonstrated a new technique that uses bunches of electrons to cool the beams of gold ions in RHIC. The new “bunched-beam” electron cooling system keeps RHIC’s ion beams tightly packed together, especially at low energy levels, increasing the chances that the ions will collide.
Jean Paul Allain is a professor and department head of the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering, the director of the Radiation Surface Science and Engineering Laboratory, professor in Biomedical Engineering by courtesy and the Lloyd & Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair in Plasma Medicine at Penn State University.
In the First-Person Science series, scientists describe how they made significant discoveries over years of research. Esther Takeuchi is a professor at Stony Brook University and the director of the Center for Mesoscale Transport Properties, a Department of Energy Office of Science Energy Frontier Research Center.
Jonathan Schilling is a professor in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology at the University of Minnesota. He is also the director of the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories in northern Minnesota.
Rupak Mahapatra is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University.
Delia J. Milliron is the T. Brockett Hudson Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, formerly a staff scientist in the Molecular Foundry, Division of Materials Science at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
In the First-Person Science series, scientists describe how they made significant discoveries over years of research. Christoph Benning is the director of the Michigan State University-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory.
Scientists measured the atomic and electronic structure of a two-dimensional semiconductor to understand defects in the crystal structure. The measurements were made at the same time and at the same location, and the quantum orbitals associated with the defects were visualized using an ultra-sharp probe made from a single carbon monoxide molecule.
Scientists have developed four-dimensional atomic electron tomography, which images the dynamics of structural changes at the atomic scale during nucleation. The scientists found that the nuclei came in a broad range of shapes and sizes and possess a diffuse interface surrounding a stable core. Their observations challenge the long-held classical nucleation theory.
Scientists have discovered a new method of producing ultra-thin porous membranes. The key is growth of a polymer “corona”—an ultrathin layer of polymer surrounding highly porous metal-organic-framework (MOF) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles self-assemble into layers one particle thick and into multilayer, self-supporting porous films.
Scientists have identified a new mechanism for the breakdown of the building blocks of cell membranes. The mechanism is based on autoxidation from the interaction of oxygen and hydroxyl free radicals and the subsequent chain reaction between hydroxyl radicals and the Criegee intermediates that form from atmospheric ozone.
Scientists have limited knowledge of the role of viruses in soils. New research found that soils can contain many kinds of RNA viruses. Most likely infect fungi, but they could also infect bacteria, plants, and animals. The study found that soil viral populations change quickly, possibly in response to the environment.
Eric O. Potma is a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He holds adjunct positions in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, and in the Beckman Laser Institute at UCI.
Timothy M. VanReken is a program director for the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), part of the Office of Integrative Activities at the National Science Foundation.
This is a continuing profile series on the directors of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facilities. Michael E. Papka is the director of the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility.
Aromaticity and antiaromaticity are important concepts in organic chemistry, helping to define and explain how molecules vary in their stability and reactivity. Researchers previously identified these concepts together in organic biphenylenes. Now, new research has created metallic biphenylenes that incorporate uranium and thorium.
To understand how elements heavier than iron formed, scientists are running particle physics experiments and astrophysical computing models that complement each other. They collaborate to find the distinctive signatures of heavy elements.
Researchers have demonstrated a new approach for injecting microwaves into a tokamak fusion device. In a fusion electron-cyclotron current drive (ECCD), microwaves help stabilize the plasma while the tokamak heats the plasma on the path to fusion. The new approach to ECCD is twice as efficient as previous approaches.
The Sun is a spinning ball of plasma that generates its own magnetic field. As the Sun spews out plasma, it generates solar wind that pulls the Sun’s magnetic field along with it, twisting the magnetic field into what is called a Parker spiral. A recent experiment recreated this interaction at a small scale in the laboratory.
Researchers have discovered how two-dimensional nanoscale cages trap some noble gases. These cages can trap atoms of argon, krypton, and xenon at above freezing temperatures. Noble gases are hard to trap using other methods because they condense at temperatures far below freezing.
Understanding how a small, gas-phase molecule containing an actinide atom reacts with other molecules helps us understand the chemistry of heavy elements. This study identified an extreme in the chemical behavior of curium, which lies at the center of the actinide series on the periodic table.
Researchers have created miniature lasers that are stable and work continuously at room temperature. The lasers use arrays of nanopillars with nanoparticles that can absorb two photons of light and emit them as a single photon with higher energy. They could have applications in quantum technologies, imaging, and other areas.
Scientists have designed a recyclable plastic called poly(diketoenamine)s, or PDKs. In contrast to many plastics, scientists can recover and free the monomers of PDK plastic from each other and additives by dunking it in a highly acidic solution. Manufacturers can then reassemble the plastic into a different shape, texture, and color without loss of performance or quality.
Scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence method that automates experiments by autonomously defining and conducting the next step of an experiment without input from human researchers. It works by creating a model that fits experimental data, then using that model as the starting point for continuously refining the model to fit with new data.
Researchers are finding new applications for radiation between microwaves and infrared light. This terahertz radiation could lead to new capabilities in imaging, communications, and other areas. To expand its use, researchers need switches that work in less than a thousandth of a second, have a high contrast between “off” and “on” states, and efficiently carry electrical charges. Researchers have developed a new metasurface that does all three.
Nearly all computer models of molecules and materials are based on density functional theory (DFT) approximations. Several methods exist for correcting self-interaction error in DFT approximations that work well for some chemical arrangements but not others. A new method removes self-interaction errors without hurting accuracy.
Heterostructures are semiconductors that have special optical and electronic properties. Researchers discovered a new way to make heterostructures that consist of a core of tin sulfide crystals wrapped in a tin disulfide shell, a structure with excellent light absorption and energy transfer properties.
Scientists have discovered a new method for creating hollow metallic nanostructures. They used advanced electron tomography to collect 3D images of the transition from gold nanocubes with sharp corners to gold-silver alloy nanowrappers with pores at their corners. The pores are large and regular enough to carry molecule or nanoscale-size particles.
Tokamaks use magnetic fields to control plasma “Magnetic islands” are unstable structures that form in these magnetic fields. Researchers discovered that firing frozen pellets of deuterium deep into the plasma caused the magnetic islands to shrink.
Researchers use a strategy called metabolic engineering to improve how microbes produce bioproducts. Typically, scientists modify one or a few genes to understand how those genes affect bioproduct production. However, some traits are controlled by many genes, and the process of identifying all the genes involved in complex traits is difficult and time consuming. A new system for altering the expression of each gene in the yeast genome allows researchers to identify multiple genes that control complex traits, improving their ability to engineer organisms for biotechnological applications such as biofuel production.
Scientists have developed a new approach to cooling materials using a calorimetric scanning probe. The experiment used a very small calorimeter and a simple LED to cool solid-state materials. By running the electrical current in the LED in the opposite direction than it normally moves, the scientists could suppress the amount of heat the material gave off as photons moved from the material to the LED. The research may lead to future devices that use how light behaves at the nanometer scale for cooling.
All objects emit heat in the form of infrared light. This effect is strongest in dry, clear air, especially on cloudless nights. Radiative sky cooling employs this effect as a passive cooling mechanism. Scientists have now demonstrated that radiative sky cooling can be coupled with thermoelectric materials to generate enough electricity to power a small light emitting diode. When scaled up, the technology could be a useful supplement to solar photovoltaic cells.
Scientists are working on ways to build atomic structures to specifications and are studying these methods on a larger scale using ‘big atoms.’ These ‘big atoms’ are micro-particles of silica mixed into liquid crystals. Silica particles, when mixed into liquid crystals, can act a lot like individual atoms. The geometry of the particles determines how they interact with each other the same way the electrons around an atom determine how it interacts with other atoms. Scientists can observe interactions in these ‘big atoms’ with optical microscopes, removing the need for atomic-scale imaging.
The ITER fusion reactor will use rippled magnetic fields to prevent bursts of heat and particles that can damage the walls of the reactor. Physicists have now compared computer simulations of plasma with experimental measurements to understand how controlled magnetic ripples outside the plasma can suppress these bursts.
Probing observations, satellite data, and climate models, scientists supported by the DOE’s Office of Science are exploring atmospheric rivers’ role in the water and climate cycles. But navigating through the data proved to be trickier than the scientists expected.
John Kitchin is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to provide $60 million to establish multidisciplinary teams to develop new tools and techniques to harness supercomputers for scientific discovery.
Tsuyoshi Tajima is a research and development engineer and a team leader in the Accelerator Operations and Technology Division at the U.S. Department of Energy Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The Department of Energy has a vital role to play in the national response to COVID-19. Researchers have already used tools at national laboratories to make major inroads to analyzing the virus and its spread.
Astrophysicists supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science are developing these guides in the form of computer models that rely on machine learning to examine the LSST data.
Stanislav Boldyrev is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Arthi Jayaraman is a full professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Material Sciences and Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to provide up to $100 million over five years for research on artificial photosynthesis for the production of fuels from sunlight.
The Department of Energy’s Office of Science is accepting nominations for the 2020 Enrico Fermi Award.
To use quantum computers on a large scale, we need to improve the technology at their heart – qubits. Qubits are the quantum version of conventional computers’ most basic form of information, bits. The DOE’s Office of Science is supporting research into developing the ingredients and recipes to build these challenging qubits.
Recent experiments in the DIII-D tokamak demonstrate that more turbulence at the edge of the plasma can result in it being hotter.
Scientists have created new inorganic crystals made of stacks of atomically thin sheets.
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