Newswise Feature Channel: Nuclear Physics

Demonstrating the Interconnectedness in Nuclear Physics

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:05:18 EST

An early-career physicist mathematically connects timelike and spacelike form factors, opening the door to further insights into the inner workings of the strong force. A new lattice QCD calculation connects two seemingly disparate reactions involving the pion, the lightest particle governed by the strong interaction. One reaction is known as the spacelike process, where an electron is bounced off a pion.

Germanium Detectors Help ORNL Physicists Unlock the Mysteries of the Universe

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:30:23 EST

Relying on leading-edge germanium detectors developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the scientific community pursues elusive nuclear processes to unlock persistent mysteries. Answers to questions they hope to resolve hold the potential to redefine the universe itself.

Advanced Power Semiconductors Block Radiation Damage and Lead Space Industry Development!

National Research Council of Science and Technology — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:10 EST

Research team led by Dr. Seo at KERI develops radiation resistance evaluation technology for SiC power semiconductors Securing reliability through Korea's 1st high-energy space environment simulation analysis, publishing the paper in international journal

Homing in on Spinning Gluons: New Study Nearly Nixes the Negative

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:30:12 EST

Researchers have been working for decades to understand the details of where the proton gets its intrinsic angular momentum, otherwise referred to as its spin. Recently, there have been indications that the spin contribution of the gluons could either be positive or negative. Now, a new approach that avoids assumptions and re-analyzes observational data with lattice quantum chromodynamics points strongly toward a positive gluon spin contribution, (delta)g, to the proton spin.

From Photons to Protons: Argonne Team Makes Breakthrough in High-Energy Particle Detection

Argonne National Laboratory — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 20:15:35 EST

Researchers at Argonne have discovered that superconducting nanowire photon detectors can also be used as highly accurate particle detectors, and they have found the optimal nanowire size for high detection efficiency.

Correlated Nucleon Pairs Predict Quark-Gluon Distributions

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 20:40:01 EST

Physicists know from previous experiments that what happens at the nuclear scale to protons and neutrons also affects their constituent quarks and gluons. A novel new framework has tapped on short-range correlations - brief pairings of protons and neutrons - to decipher the particles' choreography and reveal this connection.

U.S. Department of Energy Announces Early Career Research Program for FY 2025

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:30:24 EST

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it is accepting applications for the 2025 DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program to support the research of outstanding scientists early in their careers. The program will support over 80 early career researchers for five years at U.S. academic institutions, DOE national laboratories, and Office of Science user facilities.

Fresh, Direct Evidence for Tiny Drops of Quark-Gluon Plasma

Brookhaven National Laboratory — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 19:10:59 EST

A new analysis of data from the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) reveals fresh evidence that collisions of even very small nuclei with large ones might create tiny specks of a quark-gluon plasma (QGP).

Argonne's Nuclear Energy Research Drives Innovation in Gen-IV Reactor Safety and Efficiency

Argonne National Laboratory — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 20:30:22 EST

The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory is advancing next-generation nuclear energy through state-of-the-art research in sodium-cooled fast reactors. Argonne's METL facility and experiments like THETA support safer, more efficient energy solutions to meet global demands.

Argonne and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute Partner to Advance Silicon Sensor Research

Argonne National Laboratory — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 19:45:58 EST

Argonne National Laboratory and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, a Republic of Korea national laboratory, sign memorandum of understanding to advance silicon sensor research for the future Electron-Ion Collider.

Neutron Star Mountains Would Cause Ripples in Space-Time

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 20:15:20 EST

The surface features of neutron stars are largely unknown. Nuclear theorists explored mountain building mechanisms active on the moons and planets in our solar system. Some of these mechanisms suggest that neutron stars are likely to have mountains. Neutron star mountains would be much more massive than any on Earth--so massive that gravity just from these mountains could produce ripples in the fabric of space and time.

Animation Offers a New View of the Nucleus

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 18:40:43 EST

The year 2025 has been proclaimed the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by the United Nations, recognizing 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics.

AI Tackles Disruptive Tearing Instability in Fusion Plasma

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 10:20:26 EST

Instabilities in the plasma in a tokamak device can cause disruptions that result in rapid loss of plasma confinement and the release of large amounts of energy. Current approaches can suppress one type of disruption, tearing instabilities, after they form. Here, researchers tested a method using AI/deep reinforcement learning that instead adjusts plasma conditions in real-time to avoid these instabilities from developing in the first place.

New Approach Merges Theoretical Fundamentals with Experimental Studies of the Proton's Structure

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 09:55:59 EST

New quantum chromodynamics (QCD) research provides physicists with the tools needed to relate the physics of specific particle collisions with the internal structure of the involved particles. These tools will help scientists relate theory and experiments into how quarks and gluons bind under the influence of QCD.

TRIPWIRE: Leading the Way for Radiation Detection

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:35:58 EST

As nations explore ways to reduce carbon emissions, nuclear energy is increasingly recognized as a safe, reliable option for coping with the increase in electricity use.

Robert McKeown Recognized for a Half Century of Distinguished Service

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 17:55:52 EST

For nearly half a century, Robert D. "Bob" McKeown has probed nuclear particles and educated rising generations of physicists. Now, the former deputy director for science at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is being honored for his outstanding career contributions with the 2024 American Physical Society's Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) Distinguished Service Award.

National Lab Collaboration Enables Faster, Safer Inspection of Nuclear Reactor Components, Materials

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 17:50:06 EST

A research partnership between two Department of Energy national laboratories has accelerated inspection of additively manufactured nuclear components, and the effort is now expanding to inspect nuclear fuels.

Jefferson Lab Devotes $3 Million to Testing New Ideas

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:00:21 EST

Jefferson Lab announces its newest slate of projects to receive Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) program funding for 2025. In its 12th year, the LDRD program will split $3 million among 13 different projects.

Los Alamos Conducts First Critical Experiment Using High Assay Low Enriched Uranium in Decades

Los Alamos National Laboratory — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:30:53 EST

A research team at Los Alamos National Laboratory recently performed the first critical experiment with high assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) TRi-structural ISOtropic (TRISO) fuel in four decades at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) in Nevada. It achieved its objective of establishing an advanced reactor testbed.

Jefferson Lab Dedicates Niobium-tin Particle Accelerator Prototype

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 13:00:00 EST

Jefferson Lab has dedicated the first particle accelerator cryomodule built with niobium-tin components. The quarter cryomodule is the first designed and tested for accelerating an electron beam to 10 MeV or greater energies and marks a major milestone toward the next era of SRF particle accelerators.