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Millions of light years away, millions of years ago, a star exploded.
In this violent process, it ejected incredible amounts of mass, including carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen – the building blocks of life. In fact, the star may have produced elements on the Periodic Table all the way up to iron. As it exploded, it spewed these elements into deep space. Only a burnt-out core remained.
No one on Earth noticed this exploding star at the time. Besides the fact that humans had not yet evolved, those cosmic sprays of particles – called cosmic rays – are just now reaching us. Even though millions of years separate us from their source, these particles can provide us with insight into the workings of our universe.
Learn more about how the recent results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer – an experiment on the International Space Station supported by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science – are expanding our understanding of these cosmic rays.
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Tailored materials: MXenes are a group of sheet-like materials that are only a few atoms thick. They have the potential to be useful in a wide range of technologies, including energy storage, catalysis, electronics, communications, and biomedicine. Scientists at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory and their partners have demonstrated the ability to choose the types of atoms in a material, the location of the atoms, and what is attached to a material’s thin layers. This accomplishment sets the stage for being able to tailor MXenes to have certain behaviors and characteristics. The research used the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility. |
Hidden phases: Researchers at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a way to generate “hidden” phases in materials and understand why they work they way they do. The team focused on a class of quantum materials that can change its properties and behaviors completely when triggered by an external stimuli. The researchers used short bursts of laser light to switch a material from being an insulator that blocks the flow of electricity to a conductor that allows electricity to flow. This research reveals this new state and demonstrates a potential way to control materials for future technologies. The research used the National Synchrotron Light Source-II, a DOE Office of Science User Facility. |
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Pairing protons and neutrons: In short-range correlations, a proton and neutron or two protons and two neutrons briefly pair up inside a nucleus. Research into this process has provided insights into why there are fast-moving protons and neutrons as well as how correlations affect nuclear structure. Using the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (a DOE Office of Science User Facility), researchers compared ordinary nuclei. They examined the relationship between short-range correlations and number of protons and neutrons. Contrary to either of the two hypothesized causes, the research revealed that the effects happen because of the structure of the nuclei’s shells. |
Moving atoms: A team of researchers at MIT, DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partnering institutions have created a way to precisely move tens of thousands of atoms within a material’s 3D lattice at room temperature. In the past, techniques could only move atoms across the surface of materials in two dimensions in ultracold laboratory conditions. These methods were also extremely slow and required vacuum conditions. This technique opens the door to creating small changes in materials as needed, which could create artificial states of matter and new characteristics. The applications could include sensing, optical, and magnetic technologies. The work used the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science User Facility. |
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AI for magnets: Rare earth elements give high-performance magnets the properties that make them so valuable for energy generation. Reducing the need for these elements will make magnets less expensive and simpler to produce domestically. In the past, scientists have searched for alternatives to rare earth elements using a trial-and-error process. A scientist from DOE’s Ames National Laboratory recently outlined an approach that combines physics-based modeling, simulations, and artificial intelligence tools to guide discovery instead. |
Computer chip production: To build smaller, better computer chips, researchers are exploring alternatives to silicon. One of the leading candidate materials is only three atoms tall. Building transistors with this material requires manufacturers remove atoms from the top layer without damaging the underlying ones. The standard method of removing these atoms is to expose them to plasma. Using simulations, a team from DOE’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory showed that pretreating the material makes it easier to avoid damaging the bottom two layers. |
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Fusion diagnostics: Fusion devices called tokamaks use plasma to create fusion reactions. However, diagnostics that monitor the plasma have constraints due to the extreme environment and limited resolution. Researchers at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility (an Office of Science User Facility) developed an AI model that synthetically recovers or enhances measurements of plasma. It will help scientists improve their use of measurement systems in fusion devices and bring us closer to commercializing fusion. |
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Scientific American: These exotic particles could break physics
This article about experiments that investigate physics beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics discusses an experiment at DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) that studied the W boson.
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DOE Announces Quantum Genesis Initiative
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DOE has announced Quantum Genesis, a new initiative to develop and deploy the world's first fault-tolerant, scientifically relevant quantum computing capability for research and development. With a goal of achieving this objective by 2028, it will help usher in a new era of computational power.
Quantum Genesis will have three major priorities:
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The DOE Q Competition: A competition to demonstrate fault-tolerant quantum systems in 2028 with logical qubits numbering in the low hundreds. These systems will target critical scientific applications relevant to DOE.
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The National Quantum Supercomputing User Facility: This first-of-its-kind facility will provide U.S. scientists and engineers access to advanced quantum computing systems. These systems will have multiple modalities that can tackle previously intractable problems. With existing and future DOE supercomputing and network resources, it will form an HPC-AI-quantum computing ecosystem.
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Focused R&D for Quantum Computing Applications: DOE will conduct targeted research and development to identify and implement breakthrough quantum scientific applications.
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Preparing for Quantum Advantage
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As scientists are improving quantum computing capability, researchers also need to prepare for when practical quantum computers arrive. DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory brought together leaders in quantum computing for the second annual Quantum Computing for Chemistry workshop. Participants explored how both near-term quantum computers and hybrid systems that combine quantum and classical computers can demonstrate how useful quantum tech can be for solving problems in chemistry and materials science. |
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Research News Update provides a review of recent Office of Science Communications and Public Affairs stories and features. Please see the archive on Energy.gov for past issues.
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