University Research | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Primed for a Quantum Leap in Research

Scientists at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Molecular Engineering are exploring a vast new field made possible by the ability to manipulate quantum systems.

Microbes Reveal How Humans Adjusted to a Changing Atmosphere

Ancient microbes that thrive in some of the world’s most extreme environments and modern-day humans have more in common than meets the eye—namely, they both respire and conserve energy using a similar molecular mechanism, one that has adapted to changing environmental conditions over billions of years.

Lewis University Physics Professor Awarded Visiting Faculty Position at Argonne

Dr. John C. Parker, Lewis University assistant professor of physics and Naperville resident, will be working among the most talented scientists in the world this summer as a Visiting Faculty at Argonne National Laboratory.

Center for Theoretical Physics Celebrates 50 Years

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding, the Center for Theoretical Physics (CTP) hosted a symposium on Saturday, March 24. "CTP50: The Center for Theoretical Physics: The First Fifty Years" brought together present and former members of the CTP as well as friends, supporters, and others interested in the past, present, and future of theoretical physics.

Exploring the Frontier of the Periodic Table

Professor of Chemistry and International Affairs Christopher Cahill has focused his research on some of the least-studied—and most dangerous—elements on the Periodic Table. It’s taken him from nuclear science labs to the heart of government policy-making.

Liquid-to-Glass Transition Process Gains Clarity

The Beckwith-Bascom Professor in materials science and engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Voyles and collaborators on campus and at Yale University have made significant experimental strides in understanding how, when and where the constantly moving atoms in molten metal “lock” into place as the material transitions from liquid to solid glass.

Designing a New Material for Improved Ultrasound

Development of a theoretical basis for ultrahigh piezoelectricity in ferroelectric materials led to a new material with twice the piezo response of any existing commercial ferroelectric ceramics, according to an international team of researchers from Penn State, China and Australia.

UC and its National Labs Invest in California Climate Change Research

Three new, large-scale research projects studying the effects of climate change on California are getting underway, thanks to over $11 million in awards resulting from the University of California’s close ties with its national laboratories.

Dielectric Metamaterial is Dynamically Tuned by Light

Researchers at Duke University have built the first metal-free, dynamically tunable metamaterial for controlling electromagnetic waves. The approach could form the basis for technologies ranging from improved security scanners to new types of visual displays.

Atomically Thin Light Emitting Device Opens the Possibility for 'Invisible' Displays

UC Berkeley engineers have built a bright-light emitting device that is millimeters wide and fully transparent when turned off. The light emitting material in this device is a monolayer semiconductor, which is just three atoms thick.

Molecular Prison Forces Diatomic Inmates to Cell Floor

A team of scientists including Carnegie’s Tim Strobel and Venkata Bhadram now report unexpected quantum behavior of hydrogen molecules, H2, trapped within tiny cages made of organic molecules, demonstrating that the structure of the cage influences the behavior of the molecule imprisoned inside it.

USD Takes Another Step Forward on Neutrino Research

Assistant physics professor Wenqin Xu has been leading the university collaboration on the experiment called the Majorana Demonstrator which has shown the ability to shield a sensitive, scalable 44-kilogram germanium detector array from background radioactivity in order to study neutrinoless double-beta decay.