Back
Physical and Life Sciences
Breaking the Law: Lawrence Livermore, Department of Energy look to shatter Moore's Law through quantum computing
The laws of quantum physics impact daily life in rippling undercurrents few people are aware of, from the batteries in our smartphones to the energy generated from solar panels. As the Department of Energy (DOE) and its national laboratories explore the frontiers of quantum science, such as calculating the energy levels of a single atom or how molecules fit together, more…
FSC earns 8th straight A in OPCW tests
During its 15 years as a certified laboratory for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a score of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) chemists have developed some first-rate habits. One of them is earning A grades on the organization's environmental proficiency tests. In recently announced results, LLNL earned its eighth straight A…
Biomedical Technology Accelerates into ‘Science on Saturday’ Program
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) educational outreach program Science on Saturday returned in February for a season of Marvelous Machines. Held annually at the Bankhead Theater in downtown Livermore, the lecture series offers local students and the public a peek into LLNL’s recent research. In a February 10 presentation titled “Biomedical Accelerator Mass…
Lab scientists to improve energy efficiency of copper catalysts that convert CO2 to methane
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have received $1 million from the Department of Energy to improve the energy efficiency of copper-based catalysts to convert carbon dioxide into methane and other valuable hydrocarbon products. Led by LLNL’s Juergen Biener, the project will help meet the nation’s future energy needs by converting low-cost, abundant…
Lab employee and retiree named fellows
Two researchers affiliated with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) -- a current employee and a retiree -- have been named fellows of the international Combustion Institute (CI). Bill Pitz, a combustion scientist in the Lab’s Materials Science Division, and Charlie Westbrook, a retired Lab employee, were announced in mid-February as fellows of the institute. They…
Unexpected metal behavior at Earth’s core conditions
At temperatures and pressures typically encountered on Earth’s surface, metallic elements naturally form compounds with electronegative elements. For example, iron reacts with oxygen to form rust, Fe2O3. In contrast, noble gas elements such as argon, neon, and xenon show very little reactivity with other elements. Under the extreme conditions at Earth’s core, however,…
Earth's core metals react well to electrons
At temperatures and pressures found on Earth’s surface, metallic elements are electropositive and lose their valence electrons to form positively charged cations. Metals have free electrons that naturally form compounds with electronegative elements. For example, iron reacts with oxygen to form Fe2O3 – commonly referred to as rust. In contrast, noble gas elements (NGEs),…
Pushing Boundaries in Plasma Physics: Michael Campanell Brings His Revolutionary Model to LLNL
When Michael Campanell was a graduate student at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, he noticed something unusual: the boundary physics simulation he was running wasn’t behaving the way it was supposed to. A century of plasma theory predicted one thing, but Campanell’s simulation was doing another. This was the impetus for his thesis, and a big challenge to the status…
Forensic Science Center earns 8th straight ‘A’ in OPCW tests
During their 15 years as a certified laboratory for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a score of LLNL chemists have developed some first-rate habits. One of them is earning “A” grades on the organization’s environmental proficiency tests. In recently-announced results, LLNL earned its eighth straight “A” grade during last fall’s OPCW…
Scientists find 'frustration' in battery materials
Adding carbon atoms to a new type of solid lithium ion battery could make it charge faster and more safely. Solid-state lithium-ion batteries can provide dramatically improved safety, voltage and energy density compared with today’s batteries, which use liquid components. They could be used in electric vehicles, as well as in power electronics. However, they are still in…
Drones deliver green transportation option
By getting your next package delivered by drone, you could be saving energy, but only if companies deploy drones sensibly. New research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Carnegie Mellon University, SRI International and the University of Colorado at Boulder shows that drone-based delivery could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use in the…
Protein that prevents further cartilage damage
There may be a protein in the body that hinders cartilage degradation in patients with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists performed in vivo experiments on animal models of post traumatic osteoarthritis and found that sclerostin (a protein that in humans is encoded by the Sost gene), acts as a protective…
Hayward fault earthquake simulations increase fidelity of ground motions
In the next 30 years, there is a one-in-three chance that the Hayward fault will rupture with a 6.7 magnitude or higher earthquake, according to the United States Geologic Survey (USGS). Such an earthquake will cause widespread damage to structures, transportation and utilities, as well as economic and social disruption in the East Bay. Lawrence Livermore (LLNL) and…
Go-getter undergrad lands second-author credential for 'hydrogen-getters' research
It’s rare for an undergraduate science student to appear as an author on a scientific journal paper, and when they do, theirs is usually the last name on the list. However, Elizabeth Sangalang, a graduating senior studying biochemistry at California State University East Bay, has landed a second-author credential through the research she completed as a summer intern at…
First experimental evidence for superionic ice
Among the many discoveries on matter at high pressure that garnered him the Nobel Prize in 1946, scientist Percy Bridgman discovered five different crystalline forms of water ice, ushering in more than 100 years of research into how ice behaves under extreme conditions. One of the most intriguing properties of water is that it may become superionic when heated to several…
Researchers characterize membrane behavior
An article authored by a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists has characterized how different cell membranes behave. "Different membranes in different parts of the body have different barrier strengths that are required for drugs to penetrate them to reach the organ," said Tim Carpenter, a computational biophysicist in the Lab’s Biosciences and…
LLNL’s Academic Collaboration Team Focuses on Strategic Partnerships
The High Energy Density (HED) Science Center at LLNL participates in the Laboratory’s Academic Collaboration Team (ACT), established in early 2018, which also includes LLNL’s Inertial Confinement Fusion and Weapon Physics Design programs. The goal of this multidisciplinary team is to advance LLNL’s strategic partnerships with universities, and the HEDS Center contributes…
Scientists discover ideal material for smart windows that convert sunlight to electricity
Imagine a smart window that becomes transparent when it is dark or cool but darkens when the sun is bright, converting that sunlight into electricity. Typical smart windows absorb or reflect sunlight without actually converting the solar energy into a useful form. However, the new photovoltaic windows would convert the sunlight on bright days into energy that provides more…
Lab earns DOE grant for collaboration to improve growth, efficiency of biofuel-producing algae
The Department of Energy has awarded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) a three-year, $1.5 million grant to improve the growth and efficiency of biofuel-producing algae through the alteration of their microbiomes. The work, which is led at LLNL by Xavier Mayali and Ty Samo in the Physics and Life Sciences Directorate, will be done in collaboration with the San…
Alan Hidy's global travels lead to a CAMS career
The bookcase in Alan Hidy’s office is loaded with carefully labeled bags of rocks -- some the size of a fist, others pulverized into dust. The granite in these bags is destined for isotope ratio measurement at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS). "These are from the Sierras," Hidy said, referring to his ongoing study of…
