Putting the Pieces Back Together: Scientists Reconstruct Solar System’s Original Architecture
As the solar system was developing, the giant planets (Jupiter and Saturn) formed very early, and as they grew, they migrated both closer to and…
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
DOE Pushes for Aggressive U.S. Investment in Fusion Energy
An influential Department of Energy (DOE) advisory committee has recommended that the nation move aggressively toward the deployment of fusion energy, including investments in technology…
Using a Nuclear Blast to Deflect an Asteroid: Different Neutron Energies Enhance Asteroid Deflection
A research collaboration between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) investigates how the neutron energy output from a…
COVID Pandemic Drives Down U.S. Energy Use in 2020
Americans used approximately 7 percent less energy in 2020, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore…
NASA’s Pandora Mission Would Help Probe Alien Worlds
In the quest for habitable planets beyond our own, NASA is studying a mission concept called Pandora, which could eventually help decode the atmospheric mysteries…
Experiments Probe Carbon’s Crystal Structure at Record Pressures – Five Times the Pressure in Earth’s Core
Carbon is one of the most ubiquitous elements in existence. As the fourth most abundant element in the universe, a building block for all known…
First-Ever Shot With Explosives Conducted at the National Ignition Facility
The first-ever shot to study a high explosive sample was recently conducted at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s most energetic laser. The results…
Surprisingly Fast Transport in Carbon Nanotube Membranes Could Advance Human Health
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have discovered that carbon nanotube membrane pores could enable ultra-rapid dialysis processes that would greatly reduce treatment time for…
Photoconductive Diamond Switches: Diamonds Are Not Just for Jewelry Anymore
When it comes to the semiconductor industry, silicon has reigned as king in the electronics field, but it is coming to the end of its…
Meteorites Show That Our Solar System Formed in Less Than 200,000 Years
A long time ago — roughly 4.5 billion years — our sun and solar system formed over the short time span of 200,000 years. That…
A Simple Explanation to the Spiraling Football Paradox
The hallmark of a perfectly thrown football is a tight spiraling of the tip around the trajectory of the parabolic path of flight. Why the…
Looking Skin Deep at the Growth of Neutron Stars to Solve Key Puzzles for Nuclear Physicists
In atomic nuclei, protons and neutrons share energy and momentum in tight quarters. But exactly how they share the energy that keeps them bound within…
Experimenting With Iron Under Pressure to Better Understand the Physics, Chemistry, and Magnetic Properties of Earth
Iron is the most stable and heaviest chemical element produced by nucleosynthesis in stars, making it the most abundant heavy element in the universe and…
Deactivating Coronavirus on N95 Respirators so They Can Be Reused
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers are studying ways to safely and rapidly remove viral threats from N95 respirators, without compromising the device’s fit and…
Second Skin Protects Against Chemical Weapons, Biological Warfare Agents
Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of chemical weapons in the Syria conflict have provided a stark reminder of the plethora…
Breakthrough in Laser-Based Metal 3D-Printing Reduces Defects
Combining high-fidelity computer simulations with ultra-high-speed X-ray imaging, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have discovered a strategy for reducing or even eliminating defects…
Planetary Defense Researchers Simulate Earth-Bound Asteroid Deflection
Planetary defense researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) continue to validate their ability to accurately simulate how they might deflect an Earth-bound asteroid in…
Lawrence Livermore Lab Uses Artificial Intelligence and Supercomputers in Global Fight Against COVID-19
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are contributing to the global fight against COVID-19 by combining artificial intelligence/machine learning, bioinformatics, and supercomputing to help discover…