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

Next-Generation Dark Matter Detector in a Race to Finish Line

The race is on to build the most sensitive U.S.-based experiment designed to directly detect particles of dark matter. Department of Energy (DOE) officials formally approved a key construction milestone that will propel the project named LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) toward its goal for completion by April 2020.

Scientists Make “Squarest” Ice Crystals Ever

An international team of scientists has set a new record for creating ice crystals that have a near-perfect cubic arrangement of water molecules—a form of ice that may exist in the coldest high-altitude clouds but is extremely hard to make on Earth.

Research Proposes New Theories About Nature of Earth’s Iron

New research challenges the prevailing theory that the unique nature of Earth’s iron was the result of how its core was formed billions of years ago.

A New Window into Electron Behavior

Scientists at MIT have found a way to visualize electron behavior beneath a material’s surface. The team’s technique is based on quantum mechanical tunneling, a process by which electrons can traverse energetic barriers by simply appearing on the other side.

Recreating Conditions Inside Stars With Compact Lasers

A multi-institution experiment conducted at Colorado State University used smaller, compact lasers to create ultra-short laser pulses and validate numerical models measuring the irradiation intensities and the extreme pressures generated.

High-Altitude Observatory Sheds Light on Origin of Excess Anti-Matter

A mountaintop observatory in Mexico, built and operated by an international team of scientists led by the University of Maryland, has captured the first wide-angle view of gamma rays emanating from two rapidly spinning stars.

LIGO Mirror Coatings Get an Upgrade with New Stanford-led National Collaboration

Stanford scientists will lead a new national cooperative effort, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration Center for Coatings Research, to improve detection of gravitational waves at the twin LIGO facilities.

Research is Making Plant Waste a Viable Option in Ethanol Production

UC Riverside researchers have developed a streamlined process that could finally make the ethanol production cost from abundant “second generation” plant wastes competitive with “first generation” ethanol made from sugars.

Supercomputer Simulates Dynamic Magnetic Fields of Jupiter, Earth, Sun

As the Juno space probe approached Jupiter in June last year, researchers with the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics’ Dynamo Working Group which is headquartered at UC Davis, were starting to run simulations of the giant planet’s magnetic field on one of the world’s fastest computers. While the timing was coincidental, the supercomputer modeling should help scientists interpret the data from Juno, and vice versa.

New Research Findings Could Lead to Safer and More Powerful Lithium-ion Batteries

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are working to improve conductivity and safety in lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power many electronic devices around the world, including laptops, iPods, satellites, artificial hearts and cell phones.

Rutgers-led Research Could Revolutionize Nuclear Waste Reprocessing and Save Money

Seeking a better way to capture radioactive iodides in spent nuclear reactor fuel, Rutgers–New Brunswick scientists have developed an extremely efficient “molecular trap” that can be recycled and reused.

Four Faculty Honored With Presidential Early Career Awards

Four Northwestern University professors — physicist Eric Dahl, chemists Danna Freedman and T. David Harris and mechanical engineer Sinan Keten — have been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).