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Neutrons and a ‘Bit of Gold’ Uncover New Type of Quantum Phase Transition

01.19.17 Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered a new type of quantum critical point, a new way in which materials change from one state of matter to another.
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Tracking Antarctic Adaptations in Diatoms

01.18.17 A team led by University of East Anglia (UEA) scientists in Norwich, England conducted a comparative genome analysis that provided clues on how climate change might impact evolutionary adaptation limits.
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Largest Populus SNP Dataset Holds Promise for Biofuels, Materials, and Metabolites

01.17.17 Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have released the largest-ever single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset of genetic variations in poplar trees, information useful to plant scientists as well as researchers in the fields of biofuels, materials science, and secondary plant metabolism.
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Light Can Switch On Topological Materials

Computer simulations show how light pulses can create channels that conduct electricity with no resistance in atomically thin semiconductors. Read More
Researchers Use World's Smallest Diamonds to Make Wires Three Atoms Wide

Scientists at Stanford University and the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered a way to use diamondoids – the smallest possible bits of diamond – to assemble atoms into the thinnest possible electrical wires, just three atoms wide. Read More
Laser Pulses Help Scientists Tease Apart Complex Electron Interactions

Time-resolved "stop-action" measurements identify an unusual form of energy loss. Read More

New Research on Shallow Warm Clouds will Advance Climate Models and Weather Forecasts
David Mechem, an associate professor in the Department of Geography & Atmospheric Science at the University of Kansas, is leading a new $525,000, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to better understand the fundamental processes governing the behavior of shallow clouds, the low-hanging cottony clouds often seen on a summer day or over ocean waters.
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A Quark Like No Other
University of Iowa physicist Usha Mallik is at the forefront of the search for a missing particle that could prove whether the Higgs boson—believed to give mass to all matter—exists.
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Recreating Conditions Inside Stars With Compact Lasers
A multi-institution experiment conducted at Colorado State University used smaller, compact lasers to create ultra-short laser pulses and validate numerical models measuring the irradiation intensities and the extreme pressures generated.
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