(AGENPARL) – Fri 02 May 2025 A weekly compendium of media reports on science and technology achievements
at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Though the Laboratory reviews
items for overall accuracy, the reporting organizations are responsible for
the content in the links below.
LLNL Report, May 2, 2025
The PROSPECT-I detector in operation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s
High Flux Isotope Reactor. (Image: PROSPECT Collaboration)
PROSPECTing for ghost particles
https://interestingengineering.com/science/scientists-nuclear-reactor-search-of-sterile-neutrinos
In a bid to spot the elusive fundamental particle, the neutrino, a team of
researchers from various universities and national laboratories in the U.S.,
including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has tightened the limits on
its existence and mass. While the particle remains elusive, the team is
hopeful since they know exactly where to look for sterile neutrinos — at
the center of nuclear reactors.
Neutrinos are subatomic particles with nearly zero mass while also carrying
no charge. The particle interacts very weakly with matter, allowing it to
travel to large amounts of matter without being detected. This is why they
are also known as ghost particles.
Nevertheless, physicists are certain that neutrinos offer us a window into
understanding some of the most dynamic objects in the universe.
Read More
https://interestingengineering.com/science/scientists-nuclear-reactor-search-of-sterile-neutrinos
Summer intern Natalie Yaw (left) created an artistic image (right) for the
inside front cover of Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers, where her research was
published. (Images: Natalie Yaw, Maryline Kerlin)
Fired up about ceramics
https://www.chemicaltoday.in/news/Posts/680c7684aee2dfa06d5541dc
Doctoral student Natalie Yaw continued her impactful work on ceramics even
after her internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) ended.
Her research has now been published in Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers and
focuses on hydrogel-infused additive manufacturing (HIAM) of ceramics.
HIAM offers a more flexible and efficient approach to creating 3D-printed
ceramics, which are widely used in high-performance applications like
aerospace.. This method separates the printing process from the ceramic
materials themselves. It begins with printing a gel using a specialized
resin, followed by the transformation into a hydrogel infused with metal salt
solutions. Heating this material results in ceramic structures formed from
metal oxides.
The study emphasizes the role of hydrogel formulation and metal salt
selection in determining the resulting ceramic’s properties. This
contributes to ongoing efforts to improve ceramic performance and opens the
door for HIAM’s application in new material systems.
Read More https://www.chemicaltoday.in/news/Posts/680c7684aee2dfa06d5541dc
LLNL researchers are taking a new, streamlined approach to heavy element
research that allows for the synthesis of several compounds containing rare
and radioactive elements like americium and curium. (Image: Gauthier
Deblonde, Adobe Stock)
Making and measuring mysterious elements
https://maldankon.cloud/en_CA/page/revolutionizing-nuclear-chemistry-a-game-changing-serial-approach-to-actinide-research-5ae037
Heavy actinides, the elusive elements lurking at the bottom of the periodic
table, present a formidable challenge for researchers. Radioactive, scarce
and chemically intricate, they have long been shrouded in mystery.
Traditionally, studies of these elements relied on analyzing one compound at
a time or drawing conclusions from safer substitutes, like lanthanides. This
has left a gaping hole in our understanding of their unique chemical
properties.
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have shattered
previous barriers with an innovative ‘serial approach’ for synthesizing and
analyzing heavy actinide compounds. A groundbreaking study published in the
Journal of the American Chemical Society highlights how americium and curium
— the stars of heavy actinides — demonstrate distinctive chemical
behaviors that defy the historical notion of similarity between actinides and
lanthanides.
Read More
https://maldankon.cloud/en_CA/page/revolutionizing-nuclear-chemistry-a-game-changing-serial-approach-to-actinide-research-5ae037
LLNL electrical engineer Jim Candy never planned on becoming an author, but
it has happened along the way during his nearly 50-year Lab career. (Photo:
Blaise Douros/LLNL)
An unexpected author
LLNL electrical engineer Jim Candy never expected to be an author.
But early in his nearly 50-year Lab career, several students in a university
class he was teaching helped him become one.
“I was an adjunct professor at Santa Clara University, and I needed a
textbook for my students. They had gone to the school’s dean and revolted
against the book I was using,” Candy said, with a smile crossing his face.
To solve the problem, Candy prepared a set of notes before each lecture that
formed the basis for his presentations to his classes. He then took his
notes, expanded them and turned them into his first book: “Signal Processing:
The Model-Based Approach,” published by McGraw Hill.
Throughout his Lab career, Candy has continued to author signal processing
textbooks on his own time for engineers, scientists and college students.
This year, he wrote his seventh book.
Read More
LLNL’s Quantum Design and Integration Testbed is a nexus for quantum
computing research. It offers a state-of-the-art research environment for
device- and system- level research with superconducting quantum processors.
Fabricating next-level superconducting qubits
https://investors.rigetti.com/news-releases/news-release-details/rigetti-granted-air-force-office-scientific-research-award
Rigetti Computing, Inc. announced that it was granted an Air Force Office of
Scientific Research award to further develop its breakthrough chip
fabrication technology, Alternating-Bias Assisted Annealing (ABAA). The $5.48
million Rigetti-led consortium, including Iowa State University, the Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology, the University of Connecticut, and
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), aims to develop a detailed
understanding of how ABAA impacts the chip on a microscopic level — which
will shed light on defects in superconducting qubits and open new avenues for
understanding and mitigating them.
“This project gives us access to the resources and expertise to unlock the
full potential of ABAA and gain a foundational understanding of defects in
superconducting qubits,” says Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, Rigetti CEO. “We
already know that superconducting qubits have advantages in speed and
scalability. Deepening our knowledge of superconducting qubit defects puts us
in an even better position to scale our systems with improved performance.”
Read More
https://investors.rigetti.com/news-releases/news-release-details/rigetti-granted-air-force-office-scientific-research-award
——————————————————————————
Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory https://www.llnl.gov
provides solutions to our nation’s most important national security
challenges through innovative science, engineering and technology. Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National
Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security
Administration.
Read previous Lab Report articles online https://www.llnl.gov/news/lab-report
Unsubscribe from this newsletter