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5-Jun-2023

A low-energy ‘off switch’ for quark-gluon plasma

systematically varying the amount of energy involved in collisions of gold nuclei, scientists have shown that the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) exists in collisions at energies from 200 billion electron volts (GeV) at least to 19.6 GeV. However, its production appears to be “turned off” at the lowest collision energy, 3 GeV. The “off” signal shows up as a sign change in data that describe the distribution of protons produced in these collisions. The findings will help physicists further study the QGP and phases of nuclear matter.

Journal: Physical Review Letters

5-Jun-2023

A simple solution for nuclear matter in two dimensions

DOE/US Department of Energy

Understanding the behavior of nuclear matter is extremely complicated, especially when working in three dimensions. Mathematical techniques from condensed matter physics that consider interactions in just one spatial dimension (plus time) greatly simplify the problem. Using this two-dimensional approach, scientists solved the complex equations that describe how low-energy excitations ripple through a system of dense nuclear matter such as exists at the center of neutron stars.

Journal: Physical Review D

2-Jun-2023

Resolving a mathematical puzzle in quarks and gluons in nuclear matter

DOE/US Department of Energy

Theoretical calculations involving the strong force are complex in part because of the large number of ways these calculations can be performed. These options include “gauge choices.” All gauge choices should produce the same result for the calculation of any quantity that can be measured in an experiment. However, it is difficult to obtain consistent results when using one particular choice, “axial gauge.” New research resolves this puzzle.

Journal: Physical Review Letters

2-Jun-2023

New insights on the interplay of electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force

DOE/US Department of Energy

Outside atomic nuclei, neutrons are unstable, disintegrating in about fifteen minutes due to the weak nuclear force to leave behind a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino. New research identified a shift in the strength with which a spinning neutron experiences the weak nuclear force, due to emission and absorption of photons and pions. The finding impacts high precision searches of new, beyond the Standard Model interactions in beta decay.

Journal: Physical Review Letters

1-Jun-2023

Machine learning-based protein annotation tool predicts protein function

DOE/US Department of Energy

Microbes drive key processes of life on Earth. Research constantly expands the database of microbial DNA sequences but does not provide full biological information about proteins. To engineer microbes, scientists need a fuller understanding of protein function. Scientists currently infer protein function by comparing it with reference databases, but this process is slow. To address this challenge, scientists developed Snekmer, a machine learning-based tool for modeling protein function.

Journal: Bioinformatics Advances

31-May-2023

DOE announces $46 million for commercial fusion energy development

DOE/US Department of Energy
Grant and Award Announcement

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $46 million in funding to eight companies advancing designs and research and development for fusion power plants, representing a major step in President Biden’s commitment to a pilot-scale demonstration of fusion within a decade. Fusion reactions power the stars, and research is underway to make fusion energy production on Earth possible, providing an abundant, inherently safe, non-carbon-emitting energy source for the planet. This funding from the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program will solidify U.S. leadership in fusion commercialization, a gamechanger that would help the United States meet the President’s goal of reaching a net-zero economy by 2050.

31-May-2023

Tunable bonds: a step towards targeted At-211 cancer therapy

DOE/US Department of Energy

The astatine isotope astatine-211 (At-211) shows promise as a cancer therapy, but scientists know little about how it interacts with chemicals. Researchers have now discovered a new tunable bonding interaction between At-211 and a class of chemicals known as ketones. This discovery has the potential to improve cancer therapy drugs by linking At-211 to cancer targeting molecules.

Journal: Inorganic Chemistry

30-May-2023

A holographic view into quantum anomalies

DOE/US Department of Energy

Theorists calculated how the key ingredients of a phenomenon called the chiral magnetic effect should evolve over time in an expanding quark-gluon plasma. The theorists used the holographic principle to model the magnetic fields and other relevant characteristics needed for the effect. The results will help scientists interpret collision data and plan new searches for the chiral magnetic effect and the underlying quantum anomaly.

Journal: Physical Review C

30-May-2023

Small fusion experiment hits temperatures hotter than the sun’s core

DOE/US Department of Energy

Future commercial fusion power plants will need to achieve temperatures of 100 million degrees C, which requires careful control of the plasma. Researchers have now achieved these temperatures on a compact spherical tokamak called ST40. The results are a step toward fusion pilot plants and the development of more compact, and potentially more economical, fusion power sources.

Journal: Nuclear Fusion

22-May-2023

Paul Romatschke: Then and now / 2012 Early Career Award Winner

DOE/US Department of Energy

Paul Romatschke is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, and a fellow at the Center for Theory of Quantum Matter, also at the University of Colorado Boulder.