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Envisioning the future of fusion energy and plasma research
The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee lays out a broad new vision and goal based on decades of advances in fusion research
DOE/US Department of Energy
Fusion energy powers the Sun. If harnessed correctly, the same process could provide clean power to people.
Credit: Artwork by Jennifer Hamson LLE/University of Rochester, concept by Dr. Jeffrey Levesque, Columbia University, originally used in A Community Plan for Fusion Energy and Discovery Plasma Sciences
Plasma is the amazing fourth state of matter. While not as well-known as solids, liquids, or gases, plasma is far more common in our universe. It is a gas made up of atoms that have had electrons stripped off. It makes up the insides of stars, causes the Northern Lights, and powers the solar winds that bounce off the Earth s magnetic field. It s also fundamental to harnessing nuclear fusion reactions to produce energy. Research funded by the Department of Ene
Sky is the limit for Oak Ridge if recreation zone OK’d
Brian LaRose/Letters
Dear Council, Editor and DOE (U.S. Department of Energy):
I am writing in support of the Special Recreation zone, which will be discussed at tonight’s meeting (Feb. 8). These types of zones will allow many events to come to Oak Ridge and will add richly to the life of the city, the tax base and bring visitors and their business to our fine city.
Although I live right over the line in Knox County, I believe the sky for Oak Ridge is the limit, and once these recreation zones are passed there can be concerts and festivals, bigger rowing and crew events and yes, even a race track at the west end of town. Cities with a clear vision for what they want to be in 20 years have these zones defined and a plan to get there. It’s time to move Oak Ridge into the future, and this special recreation zone is the first step to doing that. We need a plan. You have a plan. Let’s pass this and move Oak Ridge to the
Stable nickel-64 nuclei take three distinct shapes
Scientists track down coexistence of multiple shapes in the Nickel-64 nucleus: a spherical ground state and elongated and flattened shapes
DOE/US Department of Energy
The Science:
Scientists have identified three distinct shapes in stable nickel-64, a stable isotope of nickel. These shapes appear as energy is added to the nucleus. The nucleus in the lowest-energy state is spherical. The nucleus takes elongated (prolate) and flattened (oblate) shapes as the protons and neutrons surrounding the nucleus gain energy. This change demonstrates profound changes in the way protons and neutrons can arrange themselves. This result required an orchestrated effort at four major nuclear science facilities to achieve the sensitivity needed for the experiments.
Better understanding plastics underlying chemistry may revolutionize how we use these ubiquitous materials
DOE/US Department of Energy
Too much natural gas. A small adjustment to an experiment. These ingredients came together to produce one of the most influential materials ever invented.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab s Molecular Foundry user facility developed a polymer that they can break down and recreate. It could lead to cyclical plastics that can be recycled over and over again.
Image courtesy of Marilyn Chung/Berkeley Lab
In the wake of World War II, companies were left with excess fossil fuels with no war to consume them. Looking to turn extra natural gas into liquid fuel, the Philips Petroleum Company hired chemists J. Paul Hogan and Robert L. Banks. As they experimented with turning natural gas into gasoline, they tweaked their catalyst - a material used to speed up chemical reactions. They expected it would make a liquid. Instead, the process produced something enti