Feature Articles

Supporters of nuclear energy tout the safety and reliability of nuclear power, and data supports their claims.

Sandia National Laboratories opened the doors August 7 to its new, cutting-edge Emergency Operations Center aimed at enhancing emergency incident management coordination and communications for the workforce and the community in the event of an emergency, disaster or crisis. The $42.5 million, 25,000-square-foot facility, located on Kirtland Air Force Base, is scheduled for full operations by early 2024. It will house the National Nuclear Security Administration and Sandia emergency management staff offices, along with the 24/7 Emergency Management Communications Center.

The Rapid Assessment of Platform Technologies to Expedite Response project aims to prepare against future pandemics.

After more than a decade of work, electrons are now flying through a new superconducting accelerator at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, preparing to power the world’s most powerful X-ray free electron laser. This project – named the Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS-II) – is now steps away from releasing X-ray flashes that will open a new era in scientific research at that atomic level.

Four scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have been selected by DOE’s Office of Science to receive significant funding through its Early Career Research Program. The program, which began in 2010, bolsters the nation’s scientific workforce by supporting exceptional researchers at the outset of their careers, when many scientists do their most formative work.

SLAC researchers have shown how to make X-ray pulses at X-ray free-electron lasers even brighter and more reliable by building a special cavity chamber and diamond mirrors around an XFEL. The researchers calculated how the cavity system captures incoherent X-ray pulses and transforms them into more coherent, brighter X-rays.

Using the full capabilities of the Quantinuum H1-1 quantum computer, researchers from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory not only demonstrated best practices for scientific computing on current quantum systems but also produced an intriguing scientific result.

To build a foundation of inclusivity, the Faculty Outreach for Quantum-Interested UniversitieS (FOQUS) program is breaking down barriers, fostering networking, and preparing and developing underrepresented students from all STEM disciplines to enter the world of QIS.