Feature Articles

Protons and neutrons orbit atomic nuclei in shells with caps on how many protons or neutrons they can hold. Full shells mean stable, compact nuclei. Physicists call the number of protons or neutrons in a “magic” numbered full shell. New research shows that a previously reported “magicity” for number 32 does not appear in neutron-rich potassium isotopes.

Each year, college graduates with a passion for STEM come to the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to get hands-on experience through the Alonzo W. Ashley Fellowship Program. The program is named in honor of Al Ashley (1935-2019), who worked 31 years at the lab, championing diversity in the sciences and engineering. Supported by the efforts of the lab’s Committee for Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement (CORE) employee resource group and administered and partly funded by Human Resources, the program aims to bridge education and professional work experience for underrepresented groups. Here you will meet three of the current fellows and learn about their passion for physics, their work at SLAC and their advice on pursuing careers in STEM.

In a conventional tokamak, the cross-section of the plasma is shaped like the letter D. Facing the straight part of the D on the inside side of the donut-shaped tokamak is called positive triangularity. New research suggests that reversing the plasma—negative triangularity--reduces how much the plasma interacts with the surfaces of the tokamak for reduced wear.

Physicists from the STAR Collaboration of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider presented long-awaited results from a "blind analysis" of how the strength of the magnetic field generated in certain collisions affects the particles streaming out. The experiment was designed to look for evidence of a predicted physics phenomenon known as the "chiral magnetic effect." It didn't come out as initially predicted.

Bruce Kay is an international authority on how water, and whose research examines how fast reactions occur between molecules and surfaces and also how they convert from solid to liquid to gas. His research provides an example of the collaboration and research that will take places in PNNL's new Energy Sciences Center.

A PNNL report reflects nearly 10 years of dedication bringing together experts, including local communities and tribes, to effectively plan for the safe and uneventful removal of radioactive waste from nuclear power plant sites.

ORNL produces Th-228 for the Department of Energy’s Isotope Program in large quantities as a byproduct of the process to produce actinium-227. Researchers hope studies looking at different medical applications for the isotope will grow customer demand for it.

While making materials samples to pursue their own research goals, scientists at Ames Laboratory discovered that an unwanted byproduct of their experiments was an extremely high-quality and difficult-to-obtain substance sought after by scientists researching layered materials.

As the United States transitions to clean energy, the country has an ambitious goal: cut carbon dioxide emissions in half by the year 2030, if not before. One of the solutions to help meet this challenge is found at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the Better Plants Program.