LAB REPORT

Science and Technology Making Headlines

Oct. 13, 2017


matrix

Whether we are living in a simulation is not a question for science, but for religion.

You take the red pill

Computer technology can offer a lot now that we are living in an era of deep learning and artificial intelligence. Whether we are living in the real world (you take the red pill) or a simulation (you take the blue pill), much like in the movie “The Matrix,” is a question for the decades.

Lawrence Livermore scientist Alfredo Metere takes on the issue in a recent article in Cosmos.

Stories that suggest perceived reality is an artifact of a cosmic computer simulation abandon science and enter the domain of religion, Metere writes.

“If a human can imagine or observe a phenomenon, then it clearly cannot be supernatural; hence the very definition of ‘supernatural’ must be part of the conceivable domain of nature. That said, I have my strong reservations about whether we can ever prove or disprove our being part of a simulation in some big alien computer, especially if such a simulation is the Creator of nature itself.”


volcano rock

Nakhla Martian meteorite under the microscope. The colors represent volcanic minerals like olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase, also found in Earth’s volcanoes.

Big, bad, Martian volcanoes

They are bigger, scarier and last longer.

That's the conclusion of a team of scientists, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory cosmochemist Bill Cassata, about the evolution of volcanoes on the red planet, compared to those on Earth.

Martian volcanoes are the largest in the solar system. Although their size indicates continued activity over billions of years, their formation rates are poorly understood.

But in a recent study, the team uncovered the growth rate of a Martian volcano by dating six meteorites, which formed 1.3 billion to 1.4 billion years ago.


rose

A new silver nanowire aerogel is so light it could lay on a rose bud without wilting.

Let there be light

A new ultralight silver nanowire aerogel developed by Lawrence Livermore scientists is so light that it could lay on a fragile rosebud without the flower wilting.

Metal foams (or porous metals) represent a new class of materials with unique properties including lightweight, high surface area, high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity. The new ultralight silver nanowire aerogel could lead to advances in fuel cells, energy storage, medical devices and electronics.

“The high porosity and excellent mechanical/electrical properties of these silver nanowire aerogels may lead to enhanced device performance and open up new possibilities in fuel cells, energy storage, medical devices, catalysis and sensors," said LLNL's Fang Qian, a co-lead on the project.


magnet

Crystal-structure schematic of SmCoNiFe3, a new type of magnet that is more efficient than standard magnets.

I’m sticking with you

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have developed a new, more efficient permanent magnet that removes the deficiencies of conventional samarium and neodymium magnets.

The proposed magnet stems from the well-known samarium and cobalt (SmCo5, CaCu5-type structure) magnet, but goes a step further and substitutes most of the cobalt with iron and nickel.

More modern neodymium magnets have an advantage over SmCo5 because of their greater maximum energy. But the new magnet removes most of the disadvantages of SmCo5 while preserving its superior high-temperature efficiency over the neodymium magnets.


earthquake

The (left) peak ground velocity (“ShakeMap”) and (right) ground velocity time-histories of the Hayward Fault at selected sites around the Bay Area.

Feel the earth move under your feet

Lawrence Livermore researchers and colleagues at Berkeley Lab and UC Davis are using ground motion estimates from a regional-scale geophysics model to determine the potential damage to infrastructure after large earthquakes.

To date, the current seismic hazard assessment for Northern California identifies the Hayward Fault as the most likely to rupture with a magnitude (M) 6.7 or greater event before 2044.

Assessing large magnitude such as 6 M earthquake hazards on a regional (up to 100 kilometers) scale takes big machines. To resolve the frequencies important to engineering analysis of the built environment (up to 10 Hz (vibrations per second) or higher), numerical simulations of earthquake motions must be done on today’s most powerful computers.  

This work is part of the DOE's Exascale Computing Project (ECP), which aims to maximize the benefits of exascale systems -- future supercomputers that will be 50 times faster than the nation's most powerful system today -- for U.S. economic competitiveness, national security and scientific discovery.

Computer with email graphic

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The Lab Report is a weekly compendium of media reports on science and technology achievements at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Though the Laboratory reviews items for overall accuracy, the reporting organizations are responsible for the content in the links below.