Science Highlights | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Graph comparing a neutron star with a quark-matter core vs. a nuclear matter core in mass vs. radius. The quark matter core star would have less mass and radius than the nuclear matter core, as stars with smaller radii and more mass are too unstable.

New Clues on Twin Neutron Stars and the Extreme Physics Inside

Scientists have new insights into factors that determine how twin neutron stars—stars with the same mass but different sizes and compositions—can coexist.

Illustration of alpha fusion processes in stars and reactions used on Earth floating above an image of the Earth

Predictive Theory Revises Understanding of Alpha Processes During the Big Bang and in Massive Stars

Theoretical calculations enable more accurate determination of reaction rates for modelling primordial lithium-6 abundance and massive stars’ lifecycle.

An interaction that governs triton decay (left) is also critical to proton-proton fusion (right). Extracting information from the well-measured triton decay provides a prediction for the rate of proton-proton fusion.

Understanding How the Sun Shines: From Triton Decay to Proton-Proton Fusion

Remarkably, the rate of proton-proton fusion in the sun is not precisely understood, but it can be better predicted using the process of triton decay.

Individual ions are identified via molecular fluorescence in a high-pressure xenon gas detector. Panels show the fluorescence intensity before (left) and after (right) barium is added. Individual ions (bright spots) indicate a double beta decay event.

New Technique for Understanding the Nature of Neutrinos Demonstrates an Important Technological Milestone

Researchers imaged individual barium ions in dense xenon gas, offering a new path toward ultra-low-background searches for neutrinoless double beta decay.

In Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) collisions, interactions between a virtual photon (γ) emitted by an electron colliding with a proton in a nucleus can reveal the arrangement of quarks and gluons inside the nucleus.

Scientists Calculate Predictions for Electron-Ion Collider Measurements

Calculations of charge distribution in mesons provide a benchmark for experimental measurements and validate widely used 'factorization' method.

The nuclear electron capture decay of highly localized beryllium-7 atoms inside a superconducting tunnel junction sensor provides direct access to quantum properties of the neutrino (e) via a precision measurement of the recoiling lithium-7 atom.

Rare Isotopes Shed Light on the Size of a Neutrino Wavepacket

Precise measurement of beryllium-7 nuclear decay recoils directly probes the quantum properties of the neutrino for the first time.

As the energy of nuclear collisions increases, more and more gluons (represented as yellow strings) are packed inside a proton. Eventually, they become so crowded that they reach a balanced, dense state called gluon saturation.

Physicists Find a Strong Link Between Gluon Saturation and Symmetry Principles

Theorists show gluon fields characterizing gluon saturation can describe a universal pattern of particle emissions—a manifestation of asymptotic symmetry.