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Quantum mechanics simulations reveal the impact of temperature on energy conversion efficiency in electrochemical cells.
// S&T Highlights

In a new study, published in PRX Energy, LLNL scientists revealed how high operating temperatures could increase electrical leakage in a widely studied fuel cell material. 

An illustration of quantum dots as they are deposited on a textured surface.
// S&T Highlights

In a recent study, LLNL researchers presented a new method to deposit quantum-dot films on corrugated surfaces.

LLNL researchers are taking a new, streamlined approach to heavy element research that allows for the synthesis of several compounds containing rare and radioactive elements like americium and curium, yielding an accurate comparison of the elements at the edge of the periodic table.
// S&T Highlights

LLNL researchers are breaking through the barriers of heavy actinides with a streamlined and efficient “serial approach” for the synthesis and analysis of heavy actinide compounds.

The PROSPECT-I detector in operation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s High Flux Isotope Reactor. Designed to be as close to the reactor core as possible, this unique instrument performed precise antineutrino measurements in the challenging background environment found at that facility on the earth's surface.
// S&T Highlights

In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, a team of researchers from U.S. universities and national laboratories has set stringent limits on the existence and mass of sterile neutrinos. 

Researchers at Penn State University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are exploring "audible enclaves" — localized audio spots created through the nonlinear interaction of self-bending ultrasonic beams. The technique allows sound to be delivered to a precise location, circumventing physical barriers without the need for on-ear devices.
// S&T Highlights

Researchers at Penn State University and LLNL unveil a novel technique that allows sound to be delivered to a precise location, circumventing physical barriers without the need for on-ear devices.

To-scale snapshots from molecular dynamics simulations illustrating hot-spot formation during pore collapse. The images show pores with diameters of 60, 100, 200 and 300 nanometers, illustrating that pores larger than 20 nanometers generate hot spots with scale-invariant (independent of size) temperature distributions.
// S&T Highlights

Using LLNL’s Sierra supercomputer, a LLNL team has made significant progress in understanding how microscopic hot spots form in insensitive high explosives. 

High explosive LLM-105 before and after a laser-initiated burn inside a diamond anvil cell. Sample mass is ~ 1 microgram. The product is opaque at lower pressures and transparent at higher pressures (lower right panel). Note the increase and decrease in pressure, respectively.
// S&T Highlights

LLNL researchers conducted laser ignition experiments in a diamond anvil cell and employed large scale quantum molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the products of deflagration at high pressures. 

General flowchart of the pipeline for building the Centrifuge reference database based on the BLAST nt database. The pipeline requires several weeks of processing on a high-performance computing server with high-memory-per-core ratio and a high-bandwidth, low-latency parallel filesystem.
// S&T Highlights

LLNL researchers are working with the National Center for Biotechnology Information's (NCBI) Nucleotide (nt) database to create a vast repository of DNA sequences from across all known species. 

Jennifer Pett-Ridge has been recognized as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
// Recognition

Pett-Ridge is among the 471 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been elected American Association for the Advancement of Science 2024 fellows for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements throughout their careers.

LLNL senior research scientist Aleksandr Noy was recognized as a 2025 MRS fellow.
// Recognition

Aleksandr Noy, an LLNL senior research scientist, has been named a 2025 fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS).