LAB REPORT

Science and Technology Making Headlines

March 29, 2019


The National Ignition Facility is one of LLNL’s many crown jewels.

The smartest square mile on earth

The world-famous Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ensures that the country’s nuclear weapons are safe and sound. It also makes high-tech discoveries at breakneck speed.

Diablo Magazine recently took a behind-the-scenes look at the powerhouse right in the Bay Area's backyard. About a mile south of Interstate 580 along Livermore’s eastern border, the campus — which spans one square mile — sits adjacent to a hushed, neutral-hued suburban neighborhood.

It’s like its own little city. Indeed, LLNL, with a population of just under 7,000 employees, has its own law enforcement and fire departments and even a health center. Its roads are smoothly paved, and workers zip from one end to the other in ubiquitous hybrids. There is little indication that this East Bay institution is responsible for ensuring the security of the United States’ nuclear presence.

Visiting here is like traveling down an intellectually magnificent rabbit hole, with one bustling hub of scientific activity and experimentation leading to another. Of all the cutting-edge programs at LLNL, perhaps the most head-spinning is the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the largest laser facility ever built.


Dawn Shaughnessy is the co-discoverer of five heavy elements. Image courtesy of Peter DaSilva.

From science fiction to elemental discoveries

Dawn Shaughnessy is a nuclear chemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and co-discoverer of flerovium, moscovium, livermorium, tennessine and oganesson. She was elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society in 2018.

She says that a lot of what we tune into as kids affects us in later life.For me, science and science fiction came up together and, even as a kid, I gravitated to that kind of story,” she said. “If you enjoy fantasy and sci-fi you have to suspend in your mind what is possible, especially if you are reading about something futuristic: We don’t have it now, but could we have it in the future?”

An avid “Star Wars” fan, Shaughnessy says that anyone can delve into science. “There’s too much of the notion that the average person can’t understand science. I don’t know why we’re teaching people that. At a very young age we convince kids that they aren’t good enough and they just give it up. Then they grow up and they don’t understand why research and funding is important, or that prescription pills are decades in the making with people in the lab. With every generation we need to get that message across so there won’t be this resistance to advanced technology.”


LLNL scientists are developing 3D-printed helmets that may help prevent concussions.

3D printing is the right fit

3D printing is becoming a disruptive technology and will soon be leaving some big names wondering: "Why didn’t I think of this first?" Prototypes and end-use parts made with 3D printing are taking a chunk out of some of the most profitable industries, such as health care, aerospace, fashion and footwear (just to name a few). Especially where a customized fit is a key factor, 3D printing is making huge gains.

Lawrence Livermore researchers have delved into the sporting industry. Partnering with Autodesk, LLNL researchers are collaborating to 3D print football helmets of the future. This is one of the sporting market products, which might just need the most accuracy and personalization, to avoid fitting poorly and resulting in an injury. Other endeavors include customized golf clubs, lacrosse sticks and tennis rackets. 


LLNL launched new data sets that will provide fresh insights into past and future climate change.

Unlocking the past and looking to the future

Lawrence Livermore climate scientists this week released the latest data sets that will provide new insights not only into the past but into future climate change as well.

Hosted at LLNL and plenty of other sites around the globe, these brand new data sets grant global acces, enabling the researcher’s substantial international community to analyze and examine the results.

Twenty years ago, the project (CMIP) was formed by the World Climate Research Program. Its objective was aimed at fostering international cooperation among climate modeling centers and defining quality simulations that will smooth the way for comparing the results, leading to fresh insights and a finer understanding of the climate system.

The project has bloomed substantially, and the volume of produced data has increased significantly. This was achieved partly because of the increased set of simulations, but also due to the expansion in model complexity and resolution to focus on new science questions.


Lawrence Livermore scientists and engineers are working alongside GE Global Research to design and develop a commercial-grade multibeam metal 3D printing platform, a project funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory. Pictured are LLNL scientists Jenny Wang (left) and Aiden Martin. Photo by Julie Russell/LLNL

Lights, camera, action

The process of additive manufacturing has been captured on film.

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing can create complex structures rapidly that are unfeasible through conventional machining techniques. When partnered with computer-aided design, AM enables quick prototyping of new products and the production of novel lightweight structures. It is particularly attractive for metal production because using high-powered lasers to rapidly melt and fuse together metal powders layer-by-layer creates highly intricate structures.

But getting an insight into exactly what is happening during the laser melting and fusing of metal powders has proven tricky. However, researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Washington State University have done just that.

The researchers constructed a 3D-metal-printing system linked to a synchrotron X-ray source to enable ultra-high-speed transmission X-ray imaging of the metal melting and fusing process.

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.