NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman led a return visit to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) on Sept. 2 as part of NASA's "Inspiration Tour," meeting with Lab scientists and engineers to highlight LLNL's capabilities in areas including space science, national security, fusion, computing and other advanced technologies. Isaacman, who was joined by Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary James Danly, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction Taylor Jordan, representatives from NASA, other
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 structures make it challenging to determine how their atomic features and microscopic variations translate into macroscopic battery performance. In a recent study, published in Advanced Energy Materials, researchers at
LLNL signal and imaging engineer Aditya Mohan is driven by a simple but ambitious goal: to view the world through as many different wavelengths as possible. "I have a dream to bring together all the different ways of seeing an object, from X-rays to visible light to microwaves, to learn everything there is to know about its structure and properties," he said. "A leaf is green because it reflects green light. Millimeter waves can detect items inside a shipping box. X-rays can see through soft tissue and show your bones. Different wavelengths show different things about the same object." As
Over the past decade, global space launch cadences have grown dramatically, frequently placing multiple payloads into orbit on a single booster. Robust Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and precise characterization of resident space objects are vital to safeguarding the orbital environment. To confront this emerging national security risk, a team of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) partnered with Rocket Lab and the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) to deliver an optical payload for the VICTUS HAZE tactically responsive space (TacRS) mission under the
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 interaction that researchers have great difficulty explaining with known background signals from normal matter. The result does not yet meet the statistical threshold required to claim a discovery, but is the most compelling
For nearly 30 years, LLNL has offered Teacher Research Academy (TRA) to middle school, high school and community college teachers looking for unique professional development experiences. At no cost to educators, TRA workshops offer classroom-focused applications of LLNL's groundbreaking science and technology. Over two weeks this summer, four different TRAs were offered as two-day workshops: Understanding Energy Technology, Drone Design & Application, Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Classroom and Data Analytics for STEM Labs using AI. Understanding energy technology This session
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 was scaling them into technologies people could reliably use. The average disruptive technology takes roughly 35 years to cross that divide. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are trying to compress
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 applications to tackle one of aviation's most difficult challenges: breaking the heavy-lifting bottleneck. By combining an ultra-lightweight body with novel battery technology, CHAMPS aimed to develop a drone capable of
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 withstand harsher operating conditions. Through a Strategic Partnership Project with micronuclear reactor startup AMPERA, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) engineers are applying a novel metallic-particle
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 National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, created a robust process for entangling trapped-ion qubits. The result means better building blocks for ion-based quantum computers. The approach creates a
"The history of failure in war can almost be summed up in two words: too late." General Douglas MacArthur's warning underscored the urgency and importance of the first Decision Superiority Summit, hosted this summer by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where Department of War (DOW) decision makers, scientists, engineers and analysts explored how computer modeling and simulation, artificial intelligence, machine learning and high-performance computing can enable faster, better-informed decisions in the increasingly competitive technological arena of near-peer conflict. "The
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 called Magnetometry for Neutrino physics (Magneto-ν), scientists at LLNL are searching for the sterile neutrino using nuclear beta decays of plutonium-241. This hypothetical neutrino species is significantly heavier than
