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When the pandemic forced us to keep our distance, people quickly found new ways to come together. By improving existing technologies and developing entirely new ones, we learned how to work, socialize, and share ideas without having to leave the solitary comfort of our living spaces. While this gave us the ability to take back parts of the activities we missed, it also allowed us to connect in new and interesting ways. For scientists at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, this meant being able to make cutting edge scientific instruments available to researchers around the globe.

Partnerships are essential to promote recruitment and retention of diverse talent and creating a diverse workforce benefits everyone. Varied perspectives and experiences often lead to better outcomes and invigorate the work and culture of an organization. For this reason, Brookhaven has been a long-time supporter and partner of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM), each year providing summer employment to several GEM fellows.

Physicists studying particle collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have published the first observation of directed flow of hypernuclei -- short-lived, rare nuclei that contain at least one “hyperon.” The findings may offer insight into hyperon-nucleon interactions and the structure of neutron stars, where such "strange" matter is thought to be abundant.

Scientists sought to find an explanation for an oddity observed in a phase that coexists with the superconducting phase of a copper-oxide superconductor. The work may help scientists unravel the characteristics that allow some materials to carry current with no resistance.

Chemists at the University of Kansas and Brookhaven National Laboratory have unraveled the entire reaction mechanism for a key class of water-splitting catalysts. Their work could help hydrogen be produced from renewable energy sources such as solar power.

The start of this year’s physics run at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) also marks the start of a new era. For the first time since RHIC began operating at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in 2000, a brand new detector, known as sPHENIX, will track what happens when the nuclei of gold atoms smash into one another at nearly the speed of light. RHIC’s STAR detector, which has been running and evolving since 2000, will also see some firsts in Run 23.

Thanks to a recent upgrade to the medical isotope facilities at Brookhaven National Laboratory, actinium-225 (Ac-225), an isotope that shows great promise for treating cancer, can now be produced, purified, and shipped ready for use directly from the Lab. The first shipment left Brookhaven in mid-March. This upgrade will streamline the overall production and distribution of Ac-225 to research centers.

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered new details about the electrons in a nickel-based family of superconducting materials. The research exploring the material's electronic properties reveals that these nickel-based materials have certain similarities with—and key differences from—copper-based superconductors. The work may help scientists identify the key ingredients for high-temperature superconductivity.

Researchers at Binghamton University led research partnering with the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory—to get a better look at how peroxides on the surface of copper oxide promote the oxidation of hydrogen but inhibit the oxidation of carbon monoxide, allowing them to steer oxidation reactions.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has recognized physicist and humanitarian Sekazi Mtingwa for his invaluable work in the field of intrabeam scattering and particle accelerator research as well as his tireless efforts to promote accessibility, diversity, and equity in STEM.