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Department of Energy announces $80 million for research to accelerate innovations in emerging technologies

DOE/US Department of Energy
Grant and Award Announcement

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $80 million, provided by the Office of Science, to support fundamental research to drive the innovation cycle in support of the Accelerate Innovations in Emerging Technologies (Accelerate) initiative.

A plutonium needle in a haystack

DOE/US Department of Energy

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.

Journal: Scientific Reports

Particles pick pair partners differently in small nuclei

DOE/US Department of Energy

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.

Journal: Nature

Hijacking the hijackers: engineering bacterial viruses to genetically modify their hosts

DOE/US Department of Energy

Most methods of editing bacterial genomes use plasmids to transfer DNA between bacterial cells, but this approach isn’t always efficient in mixed microbial communities. This research instead developed a new phage-based DNA delivery tool that leverages these viruses’ ability to inject DNA into host bacteria. The researchers also used this tool to edit individual genes inside a target host organism within a living microbial community.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOE’s Office of Science is now accepting applications for the Office of Science Graduate Student Research Awards 2023 solicitation 1

DOE/US Department of Energy
Grant and Award Announcement

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science is pleased to announce that the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is now accepting applications for the 2023 Solicitation 1 cycle. Applications are due 5:00pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

PREX, CREX, and nuclear models: The plot thickens

DOE/US Department of Energy

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.

Journal: Physical Review Letters

Department of Energy announces plans to host an informational meeting and requests expressions of interest for the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory management and operating contract competition

DOE/US Department of Energy
Grant and Award Announcement

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the schedule and deadlines for upcoming events and submissions associated with the competition for the management and operating (M&O) contract for the Fermi National Acceleratory Laboratory (FNAL).

Stuck in the rough: how aging reactor walls may exhibit lower erosion

DOE/US Department of Energy

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.

Journal: Physics of Plasmas

Scientists probe the source of stochastic occurrence of super-knock in engines running on hydrogen/methane fuels

DOE/US Department of Energy

Blends of hydrogen and methane are a promising alternative vehicle fuel that could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. To make these fuels viable, researchers need to understand how they burn, especially in small, turbocharged internal combustion engines. In this study, researchers examined the impact of non-thermal chemical kinetics on “super-knock,” a combustion mechanism that can cause severe engine damage.

Journal: Combustion and Flame

Jamey Young: Then and Now / 2012 Early Career Award Winner

DOE/US Department of Energy

Engineering professor Jamey Young at Vanderbilt University is developing new strategies for engineering the metabolism of cyanobacteria. He is working to create “green cell factories” for producing renewable fuel compounds.

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