News By Location
News from DC
Select a state to view local articles and features
4-Feb-2021
Molecules bend for organic electronics
DOE/US Department of Energy
Scientists have created a new type of electricity-conducting polymer containing both linear and ring elements. The new polymers have very different electronic properties than scientists would expect if the polymers simply added the contributions from each linear and ring component. The polymers open new avenues for moving energy within and between polymers.
29-Jan-2021
Nuclear physics from rocks to reactors
DOE/US Department of Energy
Recent research on the neutron-proton (np) reaction could help us understand the age of the Earth and build less expensive nuclear power plants. The np reaction plays a role in potassium-argon dating and in the removal of neutrons from nuclear reactor cores, leading to core shutdown. In recent studies, nuclear scientists used a new neutron source to show that np reaction rates occur in ways very different from scientists' initial expectations.
28-Jan-2021
Stable nickel-64 nuclei take three distinct shapes
DOE/US Department of Energy
Scientists have identified three distinct shapes in stable nickel-64 that appear as energy is added to the nucleus. The nucleus in the lowest-energy state is spherical, then takes elongated (prolate) and flattened (oblate) shapes as the protons and neutrons surrounding the nucleus gain energy. This demonstrates profound changes in the way protons and neutrons can arrange themselves.
28-Jan-2021
Keeping it cool while maintaining core performance
DOE/US Department of Energy
One of the great challenges in fusion tokamaks is how to keep the core of a plasma hot enough that fusion can occur while maintaining a temperature at the edge of the plasma low enough that it doesn't melt the tokamak's walls. This requires dissipating the heat and particles flowing towards the wall without reducing the performance of the core. Researchers recently developed a pathway to addressing this core-edge integration challenge.
25-Jan-2021
A sharp new eye to view atoms and molecules
DOE/US Department of Energy
Physicists long dreamed of producing X-ray laser pulses that probe matter at the level of atoms and molecules. Scientists realized this dream in 2009 with the hard X-ray free-electron laser at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). But each LCLS X-ray pulse has a slightly different intensity and wavelength distribution. A new oscillator design overcomes these problems with an approach inspired by optical lasers.
25-Jan-2021
CUORE experiment advances search for a rare nuclear decay
DOE/US Department of Energy
One of the greatest mysteries in the universe is why the matter and anti-matter from the Big Bang did not all annihilate into pure energy. One scenario suggests a hypothetical, extremely rare nuclear decay where an atomic nucleus decays by emitting two electrons, creating additional matter. This paper reports on recent progress on related experiments.
25-Jan-2021
Transforming plastics recycling with discovery science
DOE/US Department of Energy
Plastic waste is a major environmental issue. New research into plastics' fundamental chemistry may help industry transform waste into useful products and make cyclical plastics that can be recycled over and over again.
19-Jan-2021
Symbionts of methane eating microbes fix nitrogen
DOE/US Department of Energy
Sediments on the ocean floor contain large amounts of methane. Two groups of microbes work together in symbiosis to break down this methane in oxygen-deprived sediments. New research shows that both groups can fix nitrogen to satisfy their need for nutrients from methane. This helps the microbes hedge against changes in their environment.
19-Jan-2021
New study evaluates role of carbenes on the formation of soot
DOE/US Department of Energy
Scientists researching carbenes examine the reactions that lead to specific types of carbenes. In this research, scientists studied carbenes under single collision conditions--before the molecules can react. They collided beams of two different molecules and combined this data with calculations and simulations to reveal chemical reactions step by step.