News

LLNL researchers observe that ions behave differently in fusion reactions

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have discovered that ions behave differently in fusion reactions than previously expected, thus providing important insights for the future design of a laser­–fusion energy source. The findings are featured in a new paper in the Nov. 14 issue of Nature Physics and is titled “Evidence for suprathermal ion distribution in...

LLNL physicist probes causes of life-shortening 'dwell fatigue' in titanium

"Dwell fatigue" is a phenomenon that can occur in titanium alloys when held under stress, such as a jet engine's fan disc during takeoff. This peculiar failure mode can initiate microscopic cracks that drastically reduce a component's lifetime.   The most widely used titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, was not believed to exhibit dwell fatigue before the 2017 Air France Flight 066 incident, in...

Lab researchers study Rift Valley fever virus

Immune responses could be supported by drugs to help people recover from brain infections caused by Rift Valley fever virus Research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists suggests that immune responses could be bolstered by drugs to help people recover from brain infections caused by an emerging pathogen. The emerging pathogen studied by the team, known as Rift...

Lab researchers elected Optica fellows

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists Félicie Albert and Craig Siders have been selected as fellows of Optica (formerly OSA). Fellows are selected based on several factors, including distinguished contributions to education, research, engineering, business and serving the optics and photonics community. Click here to see the entire Optica 2023 class. Félicie...

First-ever LLNL career fair overflows with applicants

As Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recruits top talent for more than 500 open positions across all directorates and disciplines, hundreds of LLNL hopefuls lined up around the outside of the building and down the sidewalk on Wednesday to enter the Lab’s first-ever onsite career fair.  Interest in joining the Lab is high, especially with layoffs affecting many companies in the...

LLNL’s SUNDIALS team wins prestigious SIAM/ACM Prize

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) announced that they have awarded the 2023 SIAM/ACM Prize in Computational Science and Engineering to the team behind the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)-developed SUNDIALS software suite. The prestigious award is handed out every two years and recognizes outstanding...

HPC4EnergyInnovation initiative opens fall 2022 solicitation

The High-Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) initiative has opened its fall 2022 solicitation cycle to industry partners interested in collaborating with the Department of Energy (DOE) to address key energy and decarbonization-related challenges. The sponsors of this solicitation are the HPC4Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) and HPC4Materials (HPC4Mtls) programs, pillars of HPC4EI...

Lab-led nEXO project receives Inflation Reduction Act funding

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has received $2.35 million from the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to support domestic energy production and promote clean energy and to provide the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories with resources to keep the U.S. at the forefront of scientific discovery. The funding has been allocated for the Lab-led nEXO project...

Come rain or shine, viruses live on in soil

Soils contain diverse communities of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, protists and viruses. Interactions between these tiny organisms shape the ability of soils to store carbon underground. However, not much is known about the spatial patterns and dynamics of viral communities in soil. New research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators...

Lab employees impact the community through charitable giving

Since 1974, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Helping Others More Effectively (HOME) Campaign has provided employees with the opportunity to donate to their favorite nonprofits. Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), which manages the Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, adds up to $1 million, amplifying the impact that employee...

Two LLNL-led papers win Test of Time awards at 2022 IEEE VIS conference

Two Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory-led teams received SciVis Test of Time awards at the 2022 IEEE VIS conference on Oct. 18, for papers that have achieved lasting relevancy in the field of scientific visualization. Published in 2008, an LLNL-led paper that — for the first time — allowed Digital Morse Theory to be applied to large scale and three-dimensional data, won the 14-year...

Project co-led at LLNL looks to improve visualization of largescale datasets

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers are starting work on a three-year project aimed at improving methods for visual analysis of large heterogeneous data sets as part of a recent Department of Energy funding opportunity. The joint project, titled “Neural Field Processing for Visual Analysis,” will be led at LLNL by co-principal investigator (PI) Andrew Gillette. Gillette is...

LLNL to participate in three energy-focused projects

Transforming the way energy is collected, stored and used has become a defining challenge of the 21st century. To address this task, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) established the Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) program. This year, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and collaborators were awarded three projects. The first project, led...

Lab microbial array used in space station study

A five-year microbial study of the International Space Station (ISS) and its astronauts by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and NASA researchers has found that the ISS habitat is safe for its residents. The research effort represents the first comprehensive characterization of the space station’s environmental profile (or microbiome) and is the first to compare the ISS...

From batteries to water purifiers, carbon nanotubes are where it’s at

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are scaling up the production of vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) that could revolutionize diverse commercial products ranging from rechargeable batteries, automotive parts and sporting goods to boat hulls and water filters. The research appears in the journal Carbon. Most CNT production today is used in...

'Twisted' laser light experiments offer new insights into plasma physics

Electromagnetic vortices occur naturally throughout the universe and have recently been observed in association with black holes. Over the last decade, scientists have sought methods to investigate how extremely strong electromagnetic vortices interact with matter, specifically plasma, in a laboratory setting. Plasma, known as the “fourth state of matter,” makes up nearly all...

2022 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity jointly awarded to the IPCC

The United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was jointly awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, alongside the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The prize jury distinguished the two intergovernmental organizations for their role in developing scientific knowledge, alerting society and informing policymakers...

Two LLNL scientists selected as 2022 APS fellows

Two Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have been selected as 2022 fellows of the American Physical Society (APS). Physicists Andrea (Annie) Kritcher and Ronnie Shepherd were both selected by the APS Division of Plasma Physics. APS fellowships are awarded after extensive review and are considered a distinct honor because the evaluation process, conducted by the...

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to host career fair

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) empowers multidisciplinary teams to pursue bold and innovative science and technology, finding solutions to some of the greatest security challenges facing the nation and the world — and the Lab is growing every day. To recruit prospective employees for more than 500 open positions, LLNL is hosting its first-ever on-site career fair to share...

LLNL scientists eagerly anticipate El Capitan’s potential impact

While Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is eagerly awaiting the arrival of its first exascale-class supercomputer, El Capitan, physicists and computer scientists running scientific applications on testbeds for the machine are getting a taste of what to expect. “I'm not exactly sure we’ve wrapped our head around exactly about how much compute power [El Capitan] is going to have...