Kathryn Zurek realized a decade ago that we may be searching in the wrong places for clues to one of the universe’s greatest unsolved mysteries: dark matter. Despite making up an estimated 85 percent of the total mass of the universe, we haven’t yet figured out what it’s made of.
Hunting for Dark Matter’s ‘Hidden Valley’
Feature Story Glenn Roberts Jr. •
3 Knowns and 3 Unknowns about Dark Matter
Feature Story Glenn Roberts Jr. •
While we can’t see dark matter, we are learning more about it. Here are three knowns and three unknowns about dark matter.
$40M to Establish New Observatory Probing Early Universe
News Release •
A new astronomy facility, the Simons Observatory, is planned in Chile’s Atacama Desert to boost ongoing studies of the evolution of the universe, from its earliest moments to today. The observatory will probe the subtle properties of the universe’s first light, known as cosmic microwave background radiation.
Scientists Take a Major Leap Toward a ‘Perfect’ Quantum Metamaterial
News Release Glenn Roberts Jr. •
Scientists have devised a way to build a “quantum metamaterial”—an engineered material with exotic properties not found in nature—using ultracold atoms trapped in an artificial crystal composed of light.
Berkeley Lab Scientists Part of New Particle-hunting Season at CERN’s LHC
News Release Glenn Roberts Jr. •
Scientists at Berkeley Lab will be sifting through loads of new data expected from the latest experimental run at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.
Seeing Atoms and Molecules in Action with an Electron ‘Eye’
News Release Glenn Roberts Jr. •
A unique rapid-fire electron source—originally built as a prototype for driving next-generation X-ray lasers—will help scientists at Berkeley Lab study ultrafast chemical processes and changes in materials at the atomic scale.
Revealing the Fluctuations of Flexible DNA in 3-D
News Release Glenn Roberts Jr. •
Scientists have captured the first high-resolution 3-D images from individual double-helix DNA segments attached to gold nanoparticles, which could aid in the use of DNA segments as building blocks for molecular devices that function as nanoscale drug-delivery systems, markers for biological research, and components for electronic devices.
New Fuel Cell Design Powered by Graphene-wrapped Nanocrystals
Feature Story Glenn Roberts Jr. •
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a new materials recipe for a battery-like hydrogen fuel cell that shields the nanocrystals from oxygen, moisture, and contaminants while pushing its performance forward in key areas.
New Form of Electron-beam Imaging Can See Elements that are ‘Invisible’ to Common Methods
News Release Glenn Roberts Jr. •
A new Berkeley Lab-developed electron-beam imaging technique, tested on samples of nanoscale gold and carbon, greatly improves images of light elements. The technique can reveal structural details for materials that would be overlooked by some traditional methods.
Berkeley Lab, UC Berkeley Scientists to Participate in New NASA Space Telescope Project
News Release Glenn Roberts Jr. •
Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley scientists will play a role in a new NASA space telescope project exploring dark energy, alien worlds and the evolution of galaxies, galaxy clusters and the large-scale structure of the universe.