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DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory


Moiré than meets the eye

A team of researchers has uncovered a new property of moiré potentials, which emerge when TMDs are stacked. They found that these potentials are constantly moving, even at very cold temperatures, and this movement enables the transport of energy and information through the material. This discovery contributes to foundational knowledge ...

New photon-avalanching nanoparticles could enable next-generation optical computers

Researchers developed new photon avalanching nanoparticles that exhibit high nonlinearities, overcoming challenges in realizing intrinsic optical bistability at the nanoscale. The breakthrough paves the way for fabricating optical memory and transistors on a nanometer scale comparable to current microelectronics.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalNature Photonics·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 26, 2025

Milestone 10-GeV experiment shines light on laser-plasma interactions

Researchers successfully accelerated high-quality beams of electrons to over 10 billion electronvolts in 30 centimeters, producing a 'dark current-free' beam without wasting energy. The dual-laser system and advanced gas injector system enabled this record-breaking acceleration, marking a major step forward in laser-plasma acceleration.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateDec 11, 2024

New technique could help build quantum computers of the future

Researchers have developed a method to create and control optical qubits in silicon with high precision, enabling the fabrication of reliable quantum computers. This breakthrough could advance quantum computing and networking capabilities, paving the way for breakthroughs in human health, drug discovery, and artificial intelligence.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 11, 2024

A cleaner way to produce ammonia

Scientists from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered a new way to produce ammonia, an essential fertilizer and component of cleaning products, using rare-earth metals as catalysts. The process operates at ambient conditions, reducing energy consumption and promoting food security.

Tracking down toxic metals from tobacco smoke

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory identified 28 trace metals in secondhand and thirdhand tobacco smoke, including cadmium, arsenic, and chromium. The study found that the predicted indoor air concentration for these metals exceeded California's cancer risk guidelines, highlighting the need to understand their contrib...

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalEnvironmental Science & Technology Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateMay 21, 2024

This alloy is kinky

Researchers discovered an alloy with exceptional strength and toughness across a wide temperature range, outperforming even cryogenic steels. The alloy's unique properties are attributed to the formation of rare kink bands that enable it to resist bending and fracture.

How scientists are accelerating chemistry discoveries with automation

A new statistical-modeling workflow can quickly identify molecular structures of products formed by chemical reactions, accelerating drug discovery and synthetic chemistry. The workflow also enables the analysis of unpurified reaction mixtures, reducing time spent on purification and characterization.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalJournal of Chemical Information and Modeling·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateApr 8, 2024

Methane emissions from wetlands increase significantly over high latitudes

Researchers from Berkeley Lab found significant increases in wetland methane emissions in Arctic and Boreal ecosystems, with emissions rising by approximately nine percent since 2002. Temperature and plant productivity were identified as major drivers of these changes, highlighting the urgent need to quantify natural sources of methane.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalNature Climate Change·DateFeb 15, 2024

Improving climate predictions by unlocking the secrets of soil microbes

Researchers developed a new model incorporating genetic information from microbes to better understand soil carbon sequestration and plant-microbe interactions. This approach enables more accurate prediction of global carbon cycle changes in climate models, informing agricultural strategies to preserve carbon and mitigate climate change.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalNature Microbiology·DateFeb 5, 2024

In a warming world, climate scientists consider Category 6 hurricanes

Researchers introduce a hypothetical Category 6 hurricane classification to address increasing intensity and damage from hurricanes. With global warming projected to increase storm risks by up to 50% near the Philippines and doubling in the Gulf of Mexico, the new classification aims to raise awareness about the growing threat.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateFeb 5, 2024

Doubling down on known protein families

A new study doubles the number of protein families known up until now and identifies many novel structure predictions using a massive analysis of 1.3 billion proteins. The researchers leveraged AI methodologies to unravel the roles of previously unknown protein sequences, expanding the horizons of potential functions.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalNature·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateOct 11, 2023