News Releases

Physical Sciences

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-Aug-2025 19:11 ET (1-Aug-2025 23:11 GMT/UTC)

Delay and pay: Tipping point costs quadruple after waiting

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The cost of reversing the effects of climate change—restoring melted polar sea ice, for example—quickly climbs nearly fourfold soon after a tipping point is crossed, according to new work publishing in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Much work has been done to explore the environmental costs tied to climate change. But this new study marks the first time researchers have quantified the costs of controlling tipping points before and after they unfold.

Journal: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Accessing the lesser known nucleon

DOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New results published in Physical Review Letters describe a first-time glimpse of the internal structure of the neutron thanks to the development of a special, 10-years-in-the-making detector installed in Experimental Hall B at Jefferson Lab.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Thermochemical tech shows promising path for building heat

DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Energy stored in thermochemical materials can effectively heat indoor spaces, particularly in humid regions, according to researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Journal: Applied Energy

Spinning fusion fuel for efficiency

DOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new method to increase fusion-fuel efficiency would involve aligning the quantum spin of deuterium and tritium and changing the mix of the two fuels. The approach could boost tritium-burn efficiency by up to 10 times, reducing tritium needs and lowering fusion system costs. The technique could lead to safer, more compact fusion systems, making fusion energy more practical and affordable.

Journal: Nuclear Fusion

How ‘clean’ does a quantum computing test facility need to be? PNNL scientists show the way

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How to keep stray radiation from “shorting” superconducting qubits; a pair of studies shows where ionizing radiation is lurking and how to banish it.

Journal: PRX Quantum
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Researchers drive solid-state innovation for renewable energy storage

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists are developing a formula for success – by studying how a new type of battery fails. The team’s goal is the design for long-term storage of wind and solar energy, which are produced intermittently, enabling their broader use as reliable energy sources for the electric grid.

Journal: Batteries & Supercaps

Scientists calculate predictions for meson measurements

DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Calculations of charge distribution in mesons provide benchmark for experimental measurements and validate widely used 'factorization' method for imaging the building blocks of matter.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Imaging nuclear shapes by smashing them to smithereens

DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have demonstrated a new way to use high-energy particle smashups at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) to reveal subtle details about the shapes of atomic nuclei. The method is complementary to lower energy techniques for determining nuclear structure. It will add depth to scientists’ understanding of the nuclei that make up the bulk of visible matter.

Journal: Nature
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Ensuring a bright future for diamond electronics and sensors

DOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

To expand the potential use of diamond in semiconductor and quantum technologies, researchers are developing improved processes for growing the material at lower temperatures that won’t damage the silicon in computer chips. These advances include insights into creating protective hydrogen layers on quantum diamonds without damaging crucial properties like nitrogen-vacancy centers.

Journal: Diamond and Related Materials
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy, U.S. National Science Foundation, DOE/US Department of Energy, Australian Research Council

Researchers succeed in taking 3D x-ray images of a skyrmion

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A difficult-to-describe nanoscale object called the magnetic skyrmion might one day yield new microelectronic devices that can do much more — for example, massive data storage — all while consuming much less power. But researchers need a more detailed understanding of skyrmions if they are ever to be used reliably in computational devices, including quantum computers. Berkeley Lab scientists led a project to make 3D X-ray images of skyrmions that can characterize or measure the orientations of spins inside the whole object.

Journal: Science Advances

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