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Physical and Life Sciences
Livermorium goes down in the history books
Laboratory employees and city officials celebrated the discovery of the two heaviest elements on the periodic table -- 114, Flerovium, and 116, Livermorium -- during a daylong celebration Monday. The day started with a colloquium hosted by the Laboratory, titled "Elemental Science: Livermorium and the Periodic Table," with distinguished lecturers in the Bldg. 123…
Livermore scientists capture crystallization of materials in nanoseconds
Lawrence Livermore researchers for the first time have created movies of irreversible reactions that occur too rapidly to capture with conventional microscopy.The team used multi-frame, nanosecond-scale imaging in the dynamic transmission electron microscope (DTEM) to create movies of the crystallization of phase change materials used for optical and resistive memory. A…
Livermore develops the world's deepest ERT imaging system for CO2 sequestration
LIVERMORE, Calif.-- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have broken the record for tracking the movement and concentration of carbon dioxide in a geologic formation using the world's deepest Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) system.The research provides insight into the effects of geological sequestration to mitigate the impact of greenhouse gases.The…
Weapons testing data determines brain makes new neurons into adulthood
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Using data derived from nuclear weapons testing of the 1950s and '60s, Lawrence Livermore scientists have found that a small portion of the human brain involved in memory makes new neurons well into adulthood.The research may have profound impacts on human behavior and mental health. The study supports the importance of investigating the therapeutic…
Life on Earth shockingly comes from out of this world
Early Earth was not very hospitable when it came to jump starting life. In fact, new research shows that life on Earth may have come from out of this world.Lawrence Livermore scientist Nir Goldman and University of Ontario Institute of Technology colleague Isaac Tamblyn (a former LLNL postdoc) found that icy comets that crashed into Earth billions of years ago could have…
Livermorium team honored as dream-makers
The Laboratory team behind the discovery of element 116, Livermorium, on the periodic table was honored as one of the Livermore Chamber of Commerce's top Dream-makers and Risk-takers for 2013. Mark and Nancy Stoyer and Jerry Landrum accepted the award on behalf of the 11 researchers who make up the team. Mark Stoyer also provided the keynote address during the chamber…
Livermore scientists develop CO2 sequestration technique that produces 'supergreen' hydrogen fuel, offsets ocean acidification
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Lawrence Livermore scientists have discovered and demonstrated a new technique to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide while generating carbon-negative hydrogen and producing alkalinity, which can be used to offset ocean acidification.The team demonstrated, at a laboratory scale, a system that uses the acidity normally produced in saline water…
New research shows defects in twin boundaries that strengthen materials
Through experiments and simulations, a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have found that twin boundaries (TBs) with good electrical conductivity and a strengthening mechanism in materials may not be so perfect after all. Coherent twin boundaries (CTBs) have been studied for years and conventional wisdom dictates these interfaces are ideal for…
LLNL receives accolades from EPA's Federal Green Challenge
LLNL has received accolades for its 2012 achievements in waste reduction and green purchasing as part of its participation in the Federal Green Challenge (FGC). The FGC is a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA that challenges federal agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. FGC participants commit to a minimum 5 percent reduction in two of six…
LLNL scientist finds topography of Eastern Seaboard muddles ancient sea level changes
The distortion of the ancient shoreline and flooding surface of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain are the direct result of fluctuations in topography in the region and could have implications on understanding long-term climate change, according to a new study.Sedimentary rocks from Virginia through Florida show marine flooding during the mid-Pliocene Epoch, which correlates…
Lawrence Livermore and Cool Earth Solar receive $1.7 million for renewable energy demonstration project
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded $1.7 million to a partnership between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Cool Earth Solar Inc. (CES) to conduct a community-scale renewable energy integration demonstration project at the Livermore Valley Open Campus. CES is the prime awardee and is contributing an additional $1 million in matching funds to the CEC…
New LLNL research shows the moon's core was active later than original estimates
New evidence from ancient lunar rocks suggests that the moon's long-lived dynamo -- a molten, convecting core of liquid metal that generated a strong magnetic field -- lasted 160 million years longer than originally estimated and was continuously active until well after the final large impacts. Lawrence Livermore scientist William Cassata and a group of international…
Fiuza wins EPS Plasma Physics Ph.D. Research Award
Lawrence Fellow Frederico Fiuza is one of three recipients of this year's Ph.D. Research Award from the Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society (EPS). Fiuza will receive his award during the 40th EPS plasma physics conference, held in Helsinki, Finland, July 1-5. Fiuza received the award for the work on his doctoral thesis, " Multi-scale PIC Simulations of…
Lawrence Livermore scientists discover new materials to capture methane
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and UC Berkeley and have discovered new materials to capture methane, the second highest concentration greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere. Methane is a substantial driver of global climate change, contributing 30 percent of current net climate warming. Concern over methane is mounting, due to leaks…
Lawrence Livermore scientists discover new materials to capture methane
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and UC Berkeley and have discovered new materials to capture methane, the second highest concentration greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere. Methane is a substantial driver of global climate change, contributing 30 percent of current net climate warming. Concern over methane is mounting, due to leaks…
The Lab's Bohlen sits on new panel to advise EPA on 'fracking'
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has formed an independent body to peer-review that agency's research on hydraulic fracturing. The Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel, a group of 31 academics and experts, was created by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) to review a congressionally ordered report looking at the potential health impacts of hydraulic…
Nine scientists named Distinguished Members of Technical Staff
Nine Laboratory scientists have joined the ranks of 14 other researchers by being named members of the Lab's Distinguished Members of Technical Staff (DMTS) for their extraordinary scientific and technical contributions to the Laboratory and its missions as acknowledged by their professional peers and the larger community. Maya Gokhale of the Computation Directorate, Ernst…
George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowship now accepting applications
The fellowship named for pioneering Lawrence Livermore computational scientist George Michael is now accepting applications from exceptional PhD students whose research focus is on high-performance computing applications, networking, storage, or large-scale data analysis using the most powerful computers currently available. Recipients of the George Michael Memorial HPC…
Boron chemistry reported in Chemical Reviews
Livermore researchers have described in detail the properties of the room temperature form of the element boron.In the periodic table, boron occupies a peculiar, transitional position. It sits on the first row, and has metallic elements to its left, and non-metals to its right. Furthermore, it is the only non-metal in the third column of the periodic table.It is not…
LLNL scientists contributed to the latest Higgs Boson results announced by CERN
Laboratory scientists played a role in the latest results announced by CERN that provide further evidence that the subatomic particle discovered last year is the elusive Higgs boson, a particle at the heart of the Standard Model of particle physics. The new evidence resulted from the analysis of additional data from the ATLAS and CMS collaborations at the Large Hadron…
