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Physical and Life Sciences
Rolling out the red carpet for the 10th annual LLNL Research SLAM
Gathered in the B123 auditorium on Thursday, Sept. 24, 12 Livermore postdocs used three minutes and a single slide to answer the question “Why is my research important?” Science movie trivia, a fashion show and guest appearances from previous participants contributed to the red-carpet theme of the 10th annual LLNL Research SLAM. Rakia Dhaoui and Connor Holiski, finalists…
Exploring the shapes of exotic nuclei
In the conventional diagram of an atom, the center depicts a nucleus — a spherical cluster of protons and neutrons. But that sphere is a simplification: nuclei can deform into exotic shapes that appear more like a pear, football or frisbee. Understanding why and when nuclei distort is crucial for predicting and modeling how they will behave. Researchers at Lawrence…
Recover rare-earth elements on the Big Ideas Lab podcast
Rare-earth elements are the spices of modern technology. You don't use much. A pinch here, a pinch there. But leave them out, and the whole thing falls apart. “To realize how much of your daily life you actually benefit from having rare-earth elements, they’re in the phosphors in your screens, they're in magnets. They're in your cell phone. They're essential all over the…
Jennifer Pett-Ridge selected as fellow of American Geophysical Union
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientist Jennifer Pett-Ridge has been named a 2026 fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). AGU is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences. The fellows program recognizes AGU members who have made exceptional contributions to Earth and space…
3D-printed, solid-state bioreactor converts methane waste to useful chemicals
When landfills and wastewater treatment plants create methane as a byproduct, much of it is simply burned and its value is lost. But the gas is an energy-rich resource, and it could be recycled as a fuel, chemical feedstock or bioproduct. Capturing and converting waste methane offers an opportunity to recover energy and create useful products from an otherwise wasted gas…
CIMS harnesses national labs to accelerate adoption of computing in energy-intensive industries
Industrial companies often face complex technical challenges that are too time-consuming or costly to solve through physical testing alone. Computer modeling and simulation can spur the development of new technologies with lower energy intensity, improved performance and increased productivity. The Center for Industrial Modeling and Simulation (CIMS), led by Lawrence…
Natural gas and renewables reach new highs in 2024 U.S. energy flow chart
Natural gas and renewable energy consumption reached record levels in the U.S. in 2024, while overall energy use increased modestly, according to the latest U.S. energy flow chart released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Americans consumed 94.6 quadrillion British thermal units, or quads, of energy in 2024, approximately 1% more than in 2023. Natural gas…
LLNL researchers have guts
Gut instinct, gut feeling or gutting it out — what exactly is the human gut? It’s the workhorse of the digestive system and home to a vast, dynamic community of microorganisms that influence human health. In fact, the human body contains roughly equal numbers of non-human (microbial) and human cells. Now, we are poised to learn much more about the gut and its pivotal role,…
Machine learning uncovers how battery interphases can boost lithium-ion transport
Sandwiched between the electrolyte and electrodes in a lithium-ion battery is a remarkably thin layer of material that strongly dictates battery performance and durability: the interphase. Although typically only a few to tens of nanometers thick, interphases are among the least understood components of an operating battery cell. Their complex and constantly evolving…
LZ experiment sees surprising result in search for dark matter
For the better part of a century, people have been trying to understand dark matter. This invisible substance makes up roughly 85% of the mass in the universe but has never been directly detected. Determining exactly what it is remains one of the biggest questions about our world. Now, a new analysis from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment has recorded a single particle…
Big Ideas Lab podcast takes on the science of scale-up
Rechargeable lithium batteries trace back to 1972, but they wouldn’t reach consumer products until 1991. Solar photovoltaic cells existed in the 1950s, long before solar panels appeared on rooftops. And the MRI was demonstrated in the 1970s, years before the machines became hospital staples. In each case, the core scientific principles had been proven. The difficult part…
LLNL CHAMPS team selected to develop a heavy-lift drone for DARPA competition
A team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers pushed the limits of unmanned aerial systems to earn a place at the DARPA Lift Challenge, hosted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The LLNL Collaborative Heavy-lift Aerial unManned Propellor Systems (CHAMPS) team ranked among the 132 teams selected from more than 480…
LLNL partners with industry to advance next-generation reactor fuel
Small, modular nuclear fission reactors are emerging as a resilient energy option, offering a scalable, cost-effective path to reliable power for remote or infrastructure-limited locations. However, these advanced reactor facilities typically run hotter and longer than conventional light water reactors, so they will require a new type of nuclear fuel tough enough to…
A more robust way to create entanglement in trapped ion qubits
While quantum computing could be the future, it is currently plagued by finicky hardware. To make the technology practical, researchers must demonstrate that it consistently and continuously works and performs at scale. In a new study, published in Physical Review Letters, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Ion Storage Group at the…
Using plutonium to probe the universe: Magneto‑ν experiment advances dark matter and neutrino research
Astronomers can’t see dark matter directly, but know it’s there: its gravity shapes galaxies and the large-scale structure of the cosmos. In an effort to uncover the composition of this hidden mass, a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is pursuing evidence of these particles that exist beyond the standard model of physics. In a new experimental campaign…
Lab scientists and engineers win six R&D 100 awards
The FlowVAM system eliminates the need to manually exchange print volume in Tomographic Volumetric Additive Manufacturing and incorporates in situ metrology, yielding a 200-fold improvement in part production rates. Image credit: Hazel Rose Galvan/LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers have earned six R&D 100 Awards, which recognize…
‘A science theme park’: Space science internship offers hands-on access to specialized tools
For the second summer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Space Science Institute (SSI) welcomed undergraduate and graduate students to a 10-week internship exploring astronomy, cosmochemistry and astrophysics. Throughout the summer, the 2026 student cohort worked alongside their LLNL mentors on projects reflecting the variety of capabilities available onsite…
The Big Ideas Lab takes measure of NIF diagnostics
How do you measure what can’t be seen? In the medical field, this is routine. Thermometers check temperatures and X-rays can show broken bones. But what if you are trying to measure something hotter than the center of the sun that vanishes in 100 trillionths of a second? What if it’s an experiment on Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF)…
Magnetic clues in atomic nuclei reveal the truth about mysterious gamma rays
It has been a long-standing mystery in nuclear physics: why do the nuclei of some atoms emit more low-energy gamma rays than they should? The answer can be found in a new study from an international scientific team led by the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and including authors from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Published in Nature, the work sheds…
Meet LLNL interns: Building skills through innovation and collaboration
Each summer, students from across the country join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to gain hands-on experience, work alongside researchers and contribute to projects supporting the Lab’s mission. Meet four interns whose work spans emergency preparedness, artificial intelligence, actinide chemistry and additive manufacturing, and learn how their experiences…