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Nuclear, Chem, and Isotopic S&T
Undergraduate interns explore nuclear physics research at LLNL
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently helped launch a new internship program aimed at connecting with undergraduate students at two nearby California State University (CSU) campuses and inspiring them to consider a science-focused research career. The new program, which started in early 2025, involves multiple staff and postdocs from the Lab…
Energy-efficient process delivers rare-earth element for magnets
Neodymium is a rare-earth element essential for producing the strongest permanent magnets, which are widespread in defense technologies, hard drives, medical imaging devices, electric vehicle motors, wind turbines and more. Despite its designation in the U.S. as a critical material, neodymium is primarily mined and refined overseas. China controls much of the supply chain,…
Turning wastewater into valuable fertilizer
Almost half of the planet’s population depends on synthetic fertilizers to grow the food they eat. But that fertilizer comes at a cost — about two percent of the world’s energy budget. Improving efficiency and cutting costs of producing fertilizer would have big, global impacts. To that end, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are developing a…
LLNL conducts milestone nuclear survivability experiment at NIF, moving weapons modernization forward
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has conducted an experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to assess the ability of U.S. nuclear weapons to survive encounters with adversary missile defenses and reach their targets. This experiment demonstrated a new capability to analyze nuclear materials under extreme conditions, advancing stockpile modernization…
From inception to ignition and beyond: Suhas Bhandarkar’s target fabrication career
Tiny parts and absolute meticulousness define Suhas Bhandarkar’s award-winning 20-year career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As group leader for Target Fabrication Science and Technology (S&T), he leads a team that helps transform LLNL’s physicists’ bold ideas into reality at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Bhandarkar’s path began with a B.S…
LLNL’s designs enable delivery of W80-4 subassembly First Production Unit ahead of schedule
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently announced the diamond stamping of the first production unit (FPU) of a canned subassembly (CSA) for the W80-4 Life Extension Program, achieved 18 months ahead of schedule at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. As design agency for the W80-4, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)…
Meteorite samples are time capsules from the early solar system
When a meteor streaks across the sky, it’s not just beautiful. It’s nature’s way of delivering a time capsule to Earth. Contained within are hints about the very beginning of the solar system and how planets, including our own, formed. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientist Thomas Kruijer and collaborators describe how meteorites tell the story of the…
Not all immune cells are created equal
Memory T cells are a special type of white blood cell that “remember” past infections and vaccines, helping our bodies to quickly respond if we encounter the same germs again. These cells are found throughout the body: some circulate in the blood, while others settle down as “residents” in tissues like the lungs, intestines and lymphoid organs (such as the spleen and lymph…
Researchers discover entirely new phase of ice
Water is weird. When ice cubes float at the top of a drink, they’re defying the norm. Solids are generally denser than liquids, so they sink. But because of its hydrogen bonds, water produces unusual and complex behaviors. Studying water ice and its various phases is crucial for understanding its strange properties. The knowledge is also critical for materials science,…
Mass spectrometry solves mysteries and unearths new questions in the Big Ideas Lab podcast
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are solving cold cases and rewriting our knowledge of human history. Find out how the measurements made at the Laboratory’s Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) enable these feats on the latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab, available on Apple and Spotify. CAMS is one of the most advanced and prestigious…
X-ray technique provides a new tool for nuclear forensics investigations
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are experts in nuclear forensics: the art and science of extracting information about the provenance and history of nuclear materials. Now, they have a new technique to add to their toolkit. In a study published in the Journal of Nuclear Materials, LLNL and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists…
Learn what it takes to make a new element with the Big Ideas Lab podcast
Scientists are still adding to the periodic table and expanding what we know about matter. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), researchers are creating entirely new elements that exist for only moments. In the latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab, step into the world of superheavy element discovery to understand how these rare atoms are made, why they matter…
Controlling water cuts energy costs for ethylene production
Maintaining American energy independence requires minimizing reliance on foreign countries to produce commodity chemicals and fuels. Using carbon dioxide electrolyzers to produce valuable chemical precursors such as ethylene provides one way to diversify domestic feedstocks. But, so far, these devices have been limited by their low efficiency, which makes them energy…
Inside the Lab: Meet the team protecting America from nuclear threats
In the latest episode of its “Inside the Lab” YouTube series, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is featuring the Radiological Assistance Program (RAP), offering a rare look at how national laboratory scientists support high-stakes nuclear and radiological emergency response operations. Watch the episode here. RAP is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s…
LLNL physicist Cole Pruitt honored with early-career achievement award
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Cole Pruitt has been awarded the 2025 Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) Achievement Award for Early Career Researchers in theoretical nuclear physics. The national honor recognizes early-career scientists who have made significant contributions to nuclear physics research at or in connection with FRIB. Pruitt, a…
LLNL demonstrates new model that explains plutonium’s peculiar behavior
Normally, materials expand when heated. Higher temperatures cause atoms to vibrate, bounce around and take up a larger volume. However, for one specific phase of plutonium — called delta-plutonium — the opposite inexplicably occurs: it shrinks above room temperature. As part of its national security mission, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) aims to predict the…
LLNL’s Sichi Li appointed to JACS Au Early Career Advisory Board
JACS Au, an open-access journal from the American Chemical Society, has selected Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) staff scientist Sichi Li to serve on its 2025–2026 Early Career Advisory Board. JACS Au publishes high-impact, cutting-edge research across the full spectrum of chemistry and related disciplines. The Early Career Advisory Board is composed of…
Nuclear chemistry research gets an efficiency boost
Heavy actinides — elements at the bottom of the periodic table, after plutonium — are radioactive, rare and chemically complex, making them notoriously difficult to study. Most studies conducted on these elements have traditionally been done one-compound-at-a-time or extrapolated from less toxic and non-radioactive surrogates, like lanthanides, that are safer to work with…
Search for sterile neutrinos continues at nuclear reactors
Neutrinos, elusive fundamental particles, can act as a window into the center of a nuclear reactor, the interior of the earth, or some of the most dynamic objects in the universe. Their tendency to change "flavors" may provide clues into the prominence of matter over antimatter in the universe or explain the existence of dark matter. Physicists are particularly interested…
LLNL hosts Nuclear Science and Security Consortium workshop
Once a year, a community of university professors, students and national lab researchers who focus on nuclear science and security gather to share research updates and develop collaborations, among other tasks. The group — known as the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) — recently held its workshop at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NSSC…
