News

LLNL scientists develop model for more efficient simulations of protein interactions linked to cancer

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have developed a theoretical model for more efficient molecular-level simulations of cell membranes and their lipid-protein interactions, part of a multi-institutional effort to better understand the behavior of cancer-causing membrane proteins. Developed under an ongoing collaboration by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National...

All eyes on Kim Ferrari

Growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania, Kim Ferrari might not have initially imagined that her career would involve working with the largest players in the aerospace industry and more than 25 years at a national laboratory on the opposite side of the country. Ferrari has a flair for software — a befitting strength for her intellectual passions. “I had always been good with...

Laser focused: Power and finesse drove NIF’s fusion ignition success

Fourth in a series of articles describing the elements of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion breakthrough. To achieve fusion ignition on Dec. 5, 2022, the National Ignition Facility (NIF)’s laser system needed to operate flawlessly at both ends of the performance spectrum, delivering immense energies while controlling the energy balance across all 192 laser beams with extreme...

On the hunt: HR’s ‘Talent Sourcers’ use a proactive approach to locating unique, hard-to-find applicants

With an abundance of applicants for about 500 job postings open on average at any given time, it’s clear that plenty of people are interested in working at the Lab. However, as recruiters know, for highly specialized jobs in STEM, locating the right person can be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. That’s where talent sourcers come in. Using various research methods, they find, engage...

National Academies release report on high energy density science with LLNL contributions

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report, Fundamental Research in High Energy Density Science, which identifies key challenges and science questions for the field of High Energy Density (HED) science for the coming decade and proposes ways to address them. The report follows a year-and-a-half-long consensus study by a committee of 13 experts with...

LLNL’s William Evans to serve on Fannie and John Hertz Foundation board of directors

Lab physicist William Evans has been selected to serve on the board of directors for the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the most promising innovators in science and technology. Evans is the physics division leader in the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which works to enable U.S...

Computational Engineering is key to ignition success

In a room illuminated by blinking lights and glowing monitors, more than 2,000 synchronized computers are triggered to run 5 million lines of code. The intricate code language is responsible for aligning and firing 192 laser beams — and carrying some 800 channels of target diagnostic data — efficiently and reliably several times a day. This isn’t a scene from a science fiction movie: it’s the...

Prototype telescope designed by Lawrence Livermore researchers launched to the International Space Station

A prototype telescope designed and built by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers has been launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to the International Space Station (ISS). Known as the Stellar Occultation Hypertemporal Imaging Payload (SOHIP), the telescope uses LLNL patented-monolithic optics technology on a gimbal to observe and measure atmospheric gravity waves and...

Breaking it down, carbon nanotube style

When it comes to studying particles in motion, experimentalists have followed a 100-year-old theory that claims the microscopic motion of a particle is determined by random collisions with molecules of the surrounding medium, regardless of the macroscopic forces that drive that motion. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...

First-ever hybrid Women in Data Science Livermore event celebrates achievements, supports women in the field

Celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) women data scientists, Lab employees and other attendees interested in the field gathered at the Livermore Valley Open Campus for the annual Livermore Women in Data Science (WiDS) regional event held in conjunction with the global WiDS conference. Attendees met online and in-person for the forum...

Demonstrating energy-efficient conversion of nitrate pollutants into ammonia

The nitrate runoff problem, a source of carcinogens and a cause of suffocating algal blooms in U.S. waterways, may not be a harbinger of doom. A new study led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) demonstrates an approach for the integrated capture and conversion of nitrate-contaminated waters into valuable ammonia...

Registration open for all LLNL summer education programs

Registration is now open for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) summer science education programs. Programming for the summer of 2023 includes hands-on experiences for students that relate to several research themes at LLNL. In addition, the Teacher Research Academy will equip educators with new resources to apply in their own classroom. STEM with Smartphones | June 12...

Ignition experiment advances stockpile stewardship mission

Third in a series of articles describing the elements of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion breakthrough. When scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on Dec. 5, 2022 — an extraordinary scientific breakthrough that was decades in the making — the primary mission and driving goal behind the experiment...

High-fidelity simulation offers insight into 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor

On the morning of Feb. 15, 2013, a small asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, sending a loud shockwave and sonic boom across the region, damaging buildings and leaving around 1,200 people injured. The resulting meteor, with a diameter of approximate 20 meters (roughly the size of a six-story building), was one of the largest to be detected breaking up in the Earth’s atmosphere in more...

Novel experimental platform enables first measurements of ion-acoustic wave bursts during magnetic reconnection

A series of experiments conducted at the Omega Laser, part of the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics, provide new insights into magnetic reconnection, a process that could help explain stellar flares and other astrophysical phenomena. The research confirmed that unstable ion-acoustic waves (IAWs) could be important to further understanding of the dissipation physics...

All eyes on Lynda Tesillo

For Lynda Tesillo, Women’s History Month means more than reflecting on the past. Her path to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory started with studying engineering at a university — a decision which put her in a unique position within her family. “We had limited resources growing up, particularly when it came to affording an education,” Tesillo said. “At the time, my mother...

LLNL infrastructure asset management methods featured in National Academies book

A 170-page book featuring the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was recently published by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, titled “Strategies to Renew Federal Facilities.” The publication describes methods to repurpose and restore infrastructure on federal properties, including the LLNL campus, which are tasked with providing products, services and...

HPCwire names LLNL’s Terri Quinn among 2023 'People to Watch'

The publication HPCwire today announced Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Deputy Associate Director for High Performance Computing (HPC) Terri Quinn has been named among its “People to Watch” for 2023. Celebrating its 21st year, the annual HPCwire program recognizes HPC professionals who play leading roles in driving innovation within their chosen fields and make significant...

‘Science on Saturday’ extends into Tracy

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s popular outreach series, “Science on Saturday,” will continue its programming into March at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts in Tracy. Talks will be hosted March 4 and 11 and will revisit topics from 2022 related to energy and the environment. The talks will begin at 10 a.m. March 4 - “The Future in Focus: Predicting Climate Change through...

Study looks at velocity impact to asteroid Dimorphos

The first peer-reviewed results from NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission were published Wednesday by Nature, including contributions from LLNL’s planetary defense team. The DART spacecraft executed a successful hypervelocity impact of 150-meter asteroid Dimorphos on Sept. 26, 2022. Analysis by Earth-based telescopes determined that the impact successfully deflected...