2018 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Higgs Particle's Favorite 'Daughter' Comes Home

In experiments conducted at the Large Hadron Collider, a team including Princeton University researchers has identified a long-sought pathway by which the Higgs boson decays into two other particles, known as bottom quarks.

ODU Leads International Collaboration for Neutron Study in Scientific Journal

A new study, conducted at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, confirmed that increasing the number of neutrons as compared to protons in an atom's nucleus also increases the average momentum of its protons.

In Borophene, Boundaries Are No Barrier

Borophene, the atomically flat form of boron with unique properties, is even more interesting when different forms of the material mix and mingle, according to scientists at Rice and Northwestern universities.

A Physics Treasure Hidden in a Wallpaper Pattern

An international team of scientists has discovered a new, exotic form of insulating material with a metallic surface that could enable more efficient electronics or even quantum computing. The researchers developed a new method for analyzing existing chemical compounds that relies on the mathematical properties like symmetry that govern the repeating patterns seen in everyday wallpaper.

Physicists Practice 'Spin Control' to Improve Information Processing

Currently, information-processing tools like computers and cell phones rely on electron charge to operate. A team of UC San Diego physicists, however, seeks alternative systems of faster, more energy-efficient signal processing.

FSU Researchers Use Artificial Intelligence to Identify, Predict New Chemical Compounds

A team of Florida State University researchers is using artificial intelligence to identify which among hundreds of thousands of hypothetical crystal structures can result in the prediction of new chemical compounds.

DOE Early Career Program Funds Philipp Zerbe’s Biofuel Research

Funded by the DOE’s Early Career Research Program, Zerbe and his colleagues will study the contribution of small molecules to the environmental stress tolerance of switchgrass, with hopes of developing new avenues to generate crops that better withstand stress and produce biofuel more efficiently.

Eagle-eyed Algorithm Outdoes Human Experts

With collaborators that included Kevin Field, a staff scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Wei Li, who earned his master’s degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018, used machine learning to quickly and consistently detect and analyze microscopic-scale radiation damage to materials under consideration for nuclear reactors.

Military Personnel Show Brain Changes Similar to Those in Retired Football Players Suspected to Have CTE

In a small study of military personnel who had suffered head trauma and had reported memory and mood problems, UCLA researchers found brain changes similar to those seen in retired football players who may have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head.

Connection Found Between Viruses and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

A study led by a University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus researcher reveals a key connection between viruses and inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Department of Energy Awards William & Mary $1M for Fusion Research

The DOE recently announced $36.4 million in funding for 37 research awards at universities, national laboratories and private firms to support the study of nuclear fusion as a future energy source. William & Mary was one of 10 universities selected to receive DOE funding.

Secretary of Energy Perry Says PPPL Research Has Potential to 'Change the World'

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry toured the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) Thursday, Aug. 9, saying that national labs like PPPL have the potential to change the world through their scientific research.