Feb. 7, 2025
Scorpius will user higher-energy X-rays to look through plutonium in subcritical experiments.
Critically subcritical
Plutonium makes up the core of America's nuclear weapons. Much of it was made decades ago, and it's getting old. "Right now the oldest plutonium samples are about 80 years old," says Ivan Otero, a nuclear weapons scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. As the plutonium ages, it decays radioactively, releasing helium atoms. Those atoms can form bubbles and damage the plutonium metal's structure. "We need to know whether the helium bubbles or the damage to the lattice have a significant impact on the material response," he says.
The $2 billion Scorpius machine will see how very small quantities of plutonium react when detonated explosively. The X-rays are used to take a series of images of the plutonium as a shockwave generated by conventional explosives passes through it. In addition to addressing the aging question, the tests will help with new upgrades and modifications to existing nuclear weapons.
LLNL researchers and a prototype of the gamma-ray spectrometer.
Far from home
A high-tech sensor designed and built at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has now traveled farther than 250 million miles from Earth.
The high-purity germanium gamma ray sensor (HPGe), one of Lawrence Livermore Lab’s newest instruments, is the result of years of partnerships between the lab and Tri-Valley design and fabrication shops. After its launch in October 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the sensor is now traveling in space on a NASA mission to observe Psyche, a large metallic asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
The HPGe is part of a larger instrument, a gamma ray spectrometer, that is designed to determine the chemical composition of the asteroid.
LLNL combines data and simulation with deep learning methods to improve areas important to national security. (Image credit: Tanya Quijalvo/LLNL)
An open collaboration
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has announced an agreement to collaborate with U.S. National Laboratories, indicating that it plans to assist in various fields, including nuclear security.
The company plans to deploy its AI on a supercomputer.
"Under this agreement, OpenAI will work with Microsoft and will deploy o1 or another o-series model on Venado, an NVIDIA supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) where it will be a shared resource for researchers from Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Labs," OpenAI noted.
Eucalyptus trees have high levels of toxicity when burned and are abundant across California. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)
Smoke’s hidden threat: the brain
Wildfire smoke, long recognized as a health threat to the lungs and heart, may also pose significant risks to brain health, according to a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory explored how smoldering eucalyptus wood smoke extract affects human brain endothelial cells, which form the blood-brain barrier.
Results showed that exposure to the smoke extract increased inflammation and reduced the levels of tight junction markers that help maintain the barrier’s integrity. These changes suggest that inhaling wildfire smoke could contribute to neuroinflammation and increase the risk of neurological disorders.
One of many Star Trek: Into Darkness scenes filmed at the National Ignition Facility.
Don’t forget your neutron cream
During a recent interview with Variety, Benedict Cumberbatch tells a story about his experiences filming Star Trek: Into Darkness within the National Ignition Facility, and the elaborate prank that the crew of the movie pulled on him.
“We worked in some amazing places, some amazing sets. And then we went to this really amazing, amazing location, the National Ignition Facility, which is where they’re hoping to create nuclear fusion rather than fission. And the only byproduct of that is water. They convinced me before I got there that there was this neutron cream you had to dot on your face to protect against all the neutrons that were flying around in the air…
“And I’m like, ‘I’m not sure. Really?’ And you know, who am I to question science? I’ve played a few scientists, but I don’t, you know, I’m not Stephen Hawking. So maybe it’s some crazy American, sort of, insurance thing. This is all by way of, you know, excusing how stupid I am.
“I then went on set and had this cream on and then there was a sign up and I had to read this notice to the whole crew about, ‘Guys, we really have to do this neutron cream.’ And as I was reading it, I went, ‘Yeah, and if you’ve been wearing neutron cream then you’re an idiot. There’s no such thing. You don’t…’ And I was like, ‘What?’ The whole crew had me. It was brilliant.”
