Latest news from Department of Energy, Office of Science on Newswise en-us Copyright 2025 Newswise 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/u-s-department-of-energy-announces-early-career-research-program-for-fy-2025/?sc=rsin /articles/u-s-department-of-energy-announces-early-career-research-program-for-fy-2025/?sc=rsin 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. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/louvers-on-the-sparc-fusion-device-should-exhaust-gases-as-hot-as-a-star/?sc=rsin /articles/louvers-on-the-sparc-fusion-device-should-exhaust-gases-as-hot-as-a-star/?sc=rsin Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:50:15 EST New studies have found that using louvers at the bottom of a fusion device creates local conditions that can reduce the temperature of the edge plasma, ensuring the plasma is not hot enough to damage the device. Specifically, the louvers allow the hot plasma to "detach" from the walls of the device, spreading out the heat. The work, on the SPARC machine, aids in progress toward fusion energy production. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/u-s-department-of-energy-announces-selectees-for-107-million-fusion-innovation-research-engine-collaboratives-and-progress-in-milestone-program-inspired-by-nasa/?sc=rsin /articles/u-s-department-of-energy-announces-selectees-for-107-million-fusion-innovation-research-engine-collaboratives-and-progress-in-milestone-program-inspired-by-nasa/?sc=rsin Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:25:50 EST The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $107 million in funding for six projects in the Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives, and that several privately funded fusion companies have completed early critical-path science and technology (S&T) milestones in the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program ("the Milestone Program"). Both programs, administered by DOE's Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program in the Office of Science, are cornerstones of DOE's fusion strategy to accelerate the viability of commercial fusion energy. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/department-of-energy-announces-71-million-for-research-on-quantum-information-science-enabled-discoveries-in-high-energy-physics/?sc=rsin /articles/department-of-energy-announces-71-million-for-research-on-quantum-information-science-enabled-discoveries-in-high-energy-physics/?sc=rsin Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:05:06 EST Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $71 million in funding for 25 projects in high energy physics that will use the emerging technologies of quantum information science to answer fundamental questions about the universe. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/illuminating-the-elements-under-our-feet/?sc=rsin /articles/illuminating-the-elements-under-our-feet/?sc=rsin Thu, 16 Jan 2025 17:15:33 EST Using a unique measurement tool, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have expanded our knowledge of the elements in soil and plants. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/tuning-magnetism-with-voltage-opens-a-new-path-to-neuromorphic-circuits/?sc=rsin /articles/tuning-magnetism-with-voltage-opens-a-new-path-to-neuromorphic-circuits/?sc=rsin Wed, 15 Jan 2025 21:10:34 EST Lanthanum strontium manganite (LSMO) is a quantum material that is magnetic and conducts electricity at low temperature but is nonmagnetic and an insulator at room temperature. Researchers discovered that applying voltage to LSMO in its magnetic phase causes the material to split into regions with distinct magnetic properties whose properties depend on the applied voltage. This means that both resistance and magnetism can be tuned in LSMO, creating a new path toward neuromorphic devices. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/neutron-star-measurements-place-limits-on-color-superconductivity-in-dense-quark-matter/?sc=rsin /articles/neutron-star-measurements-place-limits-on-color-superconductivity-in-dense-quark-matter/?sc=rsin Tue, 14 Jan 2025 19:40:05 EST At extremely high densities, quarks are expected to form pairs, a phenomenon called color superconductivity. The strength of pairing inside a color superconductor is related to the pressure of dense matter such as neutron stars. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/driving-chemical-transformations-through-the-power-of-solar-energy/?sc=rsin /articles/driving-chemical-transformations-through-the-power-of-solar-energy/?sc=rsin Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:45:17 EST Researchers used solar energy to convert CO2 into a valuable chemical commodity with a two-step solar-powered process. First, electricity from solar energy combined with electrochemistry converts CO2 to ethylene. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/advanced-techniques-paint-a-more-accurate-picture-of-molecular-geometry-in-metal-complexes/?sc=rsin /articles/advanced-techniques-paint-a-more-accurate-picture-of-molecular-geometry-in-metal-complexes/?sc=rsin Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:35:55 EST Attractive metal-metal bonding occurs in a variety of molecules made of metallic atoms such as Iridium (Ir). Current theoretical and experimental methods have shown the existence of two isomers for Ir-Ir molecular systems, but researchers have not been able to predict the proportions of these two isomers or how they interact. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/neutron-star-mountains-would-cause-ripples-in-space-time/?sc=rsin /articles/neutron-star-mountains-would-cause-ripples-in-space-time/?sc=rsin 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. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/ai-tackles-disruptive-tearing-instability-in-fusion-plasma/?sc=rsin /articles/ai-tackles-disruptive-tearing-instability-in-fusion-plasma/?sc=rsin 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. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/new-approach-merges-theoretical-fundamentals-with-experimental-studies-of-the-proton-s-structure/?sc=rsin /articles/new-approach-merges-theoretical-fundamentals-with-experimental-studies-of-the-proton-s-structure/?sc=rsin 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. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/students-and-faculty-to-join-research-teams-this-spring-at-department-of-energy-national-laboratories-and-a-fusion-facility/?sc=rsin /articles/students-and-faculty-to-join-research-teams-this-spring-at-department-of-energy-national-laboratories-and-a-fusion-facility/?sc=rsin Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:00:59 EST A diverse group of 164 undergraduate students and six faculty will participate in unique workforce development programs at 11 of the nation's national laboratories and a fusion facility during Spring 2025. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/department-of-energy-announces-179-million-for-microelectronics-science-research-centers/?sc=rsin /articles/department-of-energy-announces-179-million-for-microelectronics-science-research-centers/?sc=rsin Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:00:04 EST Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $179 million in funding for three Microelectronics Science Research Centers (MSRCs). These three MSRCs will perform basic research in microelectronics materials, device and system design, and manufacturing science to transform future microelectronics technologies. The MSRCs were authorized by the Micro Act, passed in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, and complement the activities appropriated under the CHIPS and Science Act at the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, and other agencies. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/automation-of-nuclear-chemistry-processes-leads-to-more-efficient-production-of-astatine-for-cancer-therapy/?sc=rsin /articles/automation-of-nuclear-chemistry-processes-leads-to-more-efficient-production-of-astatine-for-cancer-therapy/?sc=rsin Fri, 20 Dec 2024 14:45:26 EST Astatine-211 (At-211) is a promising alpha emitting radioisotope for cancer therapy, but its short 7.2-hour half-life means that it must be handled quickly to minimize losses due to radioactive decay. In this research, scientists designed and tested an automated device for producing At-211 that improves production time and efficiency. The device also minimizes the dose of radioactivity to production staff and reduces the time needed to prepare samples for shipment. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/enabling-breakthroughs-and-building-foundations-the-office-of-science-s-2024-year-in-review/?sc=rsin /articles/enabling-breakthroughs-and-building-foundations-the-office-of-science-s-2024-year-in-review/?sc=rsin Fri, 20 Dec 2024 14:40:26 EST At the Department of Energy's Office of Science, 2024 brought big accomplishments enabled by decades of work as well as advances that are establishing the foundations for future research. From Nobel Prizes to a new exascale computer, the DOE's Office of Science is leading the way. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/biden-harris-administration-honors-extraordinary-american-scientists/?sc=rsin /articles/biden-harris-administration-honors-extraordinary-american-scientists/?sc=rsin Thu, 19 Dec 2024 19:30:51 EST Today, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award to Hector D. Abruna, Paul Alivisatos, and John H. Nuckolls for their exemplary contributions to advance efforts to tackle some of the world's greatest challenges, including improving health outcomes, clean energy, and national security. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/springing-simulations-forward-with-quantum-computing/?sc=rsin /articles/springing-simulations-forward-with-quantum-computing/?sc=rsin Wed, 18 Dec 2024 19:40:10 EST Quantum computers have the potential to solve some problems much more efficiently than conventional computers. Researchers have now created a quantum computer algorithm for simulating coupled oscillators, systems of coupled masses and springs that are important for describing many real-world physical systems. The new algorithm results in exponentially faster simulation of coupled oscillators than ordinary algorithms. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/controller-with-integrated-machine-learning-tweaks-fusion-plasmas-in-real-time/?sc=rsin /articles/controller-with-integrated-machine-learning-tweaks-fusion-plasmas-in-real-time/?sc=rsin Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:55:07 EST The conditions for high fusion performance in fusion devices can result in damaging energy bursts called edge-localized modes (ELMs). ELMs can be stabilized through small adjustments to the magnetic confinement field, but this approach is usually limited to manual, preprogrammed responses. In this research, scientists integrated machine learning with adaptive control to achieve real-time adjustment capable of responding to the dynamic conditions of a fusion plasma in the DIII-D National Fusion Facility and Korea Institute of Fusion Energy KSTAR tokamaks. Department of Energy, Office of Science /articles/doe-s-renew-initiative-to-support-seven-pathway-summer-institutes-for-educators-of-underrepresented-and-underserved-groups-in-stem/?sc=rsin /articles/doe-s-renew-initiative-to-support-seven-pathway-summer-institutes-for-educators-of-underrepresented-and-underserved-groups-in-stem/?sc=rsin Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:40:37 EST The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science (SC) will support nearly 85 educators who either teach at schools and community colleges with large populations of students historically underserved and/or underrepresented in STEM or are educators who are from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM through awards for seven Pathway Summer Institutes for Educators at seven national laboratories. Department of Energy, Office of Science