Berkeley Lab Joins Other Labs and Universities in LaserNetUS, A New Nationwide High-Intensity Laser Network
October 30th, 2018To help foster the broad applicability of high-intensity lasers, Berkeley Lab is a partner in a new research network called LaserNetUS. The network will provide U.S. scientists increased access to the unique high-intensity laser facilities at the Lab’s BELLA Center and at eight other institutions.
A Solar Cell That Does Double Duty for Renewable Energy
October 29th, 2018Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub, have developed an artificial photosynthesis device called a “hybrid photoelectrochemical and voltaic (HPEV) cell” that turns sunlight and water into two types of energy – hydrogen fuel and electricity.
Improving Climate Models to Account for Plant Behavior Yields ‘Goodish’ News
October 29th, 2018Climate scientists have not been properly accounting for what plants do at night, and that, it turns out, is a mistake. A new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that plant nutrient uptake in the absence of photosynthesis affects greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.
Machine Learning to Help Optimize Traffic and Reduce Pollution
October 28th, 2018Applying artificial intelligence to self-driving cars to smooth traffic, reduce fuel consumption, and improve air quality predictions may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have launched two research projects to do just that.
Expert Q&A: Safeguarding the Nation’s Energy Infrastructure
October 25th, 2018In recognition of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, cybersecurity expert Sean Peisert of Berkeley Lab discusses new methods that have the potential to keep our energy infrastructure safe from a cyberattack.
VIDEO: 5,000 Robots Merge to Map the Universe in 3D
October 17th, 2018How do you create the largest 3D map of the universe? It’s as easy as teaching 5,000 robots how to “dance.” DESI, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, is an experiment that will target millions of distant galaxies by automatically swiveling fiber-optic positioners (the robots) to point at them and gather their light. In creating this detailed map, scientists hope to learn more about dark energy, which is driving the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Acrylic Tanks Provide Clear Window Into Dark Matter Detection
October 16th, 2018Scientists have a new window into the search for dark matter – an acrylic vessel that features a grouping of 12-foot-tall transparent tanks with 1-inch-thick walls. The tanks, which will surround a central detector for a nearly mile-deep experiment under construction in South Dakota called LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), will be filled with liquid that produces tiny flashes of light in some particle interactions.
