Nuclear Energy News

April 20, 2024

Top Headlines

Creating an Island Paradise in a Fusion Reactor

Apr. 16, 2024 — In their ongoing quest to develop a range of methods for managing plasma so it can be used to generate electricity in a process known as fusion, researchers have shown how two old methods can be combined to provide greater ...

With Inspiration from 'Tetris,' Researchers Develop a Better Radiation Detector

Apr. 11, 2024 — A new detector system based on the game 'Tetris' could enable inexpensive, accurate radiation detectors for monitoring nuclear ...

Researchers Discover 'Neutronic Molecules'

Apr. 3, 2024 — Researchers have discovered 'neutronic' molecules, in which neutrons can be made to cling to quantum dots, held just by the strong force. The finding may lead to new tools for probing material properties at the quantum level and exploring new kinds ...

Nuclear Fusion, Lithium and the Tokamak: Adding Just Enough Fuel to the Fire

Mar. 28, 2024 — Building upon recent findings showing the promise of coating the inner surface of the vessel containing a fusion plasma in liquid lithium, researchers have determined the maximum density of uncharged ...

Latest Headlines

updated 9:19am EDT

Plasma Oscillations Propel Breakthroughs in Fusion Energy

Mar. 15, 2024 — Researchers have discovered a new class of plasma oscillations -- the back-and-forth, wave-like movement of electrons and ions. The research paves the way for improved particle accelerators and ...

AI for Astrophysics: Algorithms Help Chart the Origins of Heavy Elements

Mar. 13, 2024 — The origin of heavy elements in our universe is theorized to be the result of neutron star collisions, which produce conditions hot and dense enough for free neutrons to merge with atomic nuclei and ...

Preventing Magnet Meltdowns Before They Can Start

Mar. 11, 2024 — High-temperature superconductor magnets have the potential to lower the costs of operating particle accelerators and enable powerful new technologies like fusion reactors. But quenches -- the sudden, ...

One Way to Improve a Fusion Reaction: Use Weaknesses as Strengths

Mar. 5, 2024 — Scientists are embracing imperfection, using less-than-ideal magnetic fields to make the plasma more ...

Laser-Focused Look at Spinning Electrons Shatters World Record for Precision

Feb. 26, 2024 — Nuclear physicists have shattered a nearly 30-year-old record for precision in electron beam polarimetry. The groundbreaking result sets the stage ...

Measuring Neutrons to Reduce Nuclear Waste

Feb. 16, 2024 — Nuclear power is considered one of the ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but how to deal with nuclear waste products is a concern. Radioactive waste products can be turned into more stable ...

New Nuclei Can Help Shape Our Understanding of Fundamental Science on Earth and in the Cosmos

Feb. 15, 2024 — In creating five new isotopes, scientists have brought the stars closer to Earth. The isotopes are known as thulium-182, thulium-183, ytterbium-186, ...

Astronomy Observation Instrument Used to Uncover Internal Structure of Atomic Nuclei

Feb. 13, 2024 — Researchers have used equipment originally intended for astronomy observation to capture transformations in the nuclear structure of atomic nuclei, ...

New Method to More Accurately Spot Underground Nuclear Tests

Feb. 7, 2024 — A more accurate way of identifying underground nuclear tests, including those conducted in secret, has been ...

Scientists Create Effective 'Spark Plug' for Direct-Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiments

Feb. 5, 2024 — Scientists completed several successful attempts to fire 28 kilojoules of laser energy at small capsules filled with deuterium and tritium fuel, ...

Physicists Develop Highly Robust Time Crystal

Feb. 1, 2024 — Researchers recently succeeded in producing a highly durable time crystal that lived millions of times longer than could be shown in previous experiments. By doing so, they have corroborated an ...

Liquid Lithium on the Walls of a Fusion Device Helps the Plasma Within Maintain a Hot Edge

Jan. 24, 2024 — Emerging research suggests it may be easier to use fusion as a power source if liquid lithium is applied to the internal walls of the device housing the plasma. Past experiments studied solid lithium ...

Gravity Helps Show Strong Force Strength in the Proton

Jan. 23, 2024 — New research conducted by nuclear physicists is using a method that connects theories of gravitation to interactions among the smallest particles of matter. The result is insight into the strong ...

A Non-Proliferation Solution: Using Antineutrinos to Surveil Nuclear Reactors

Jan. 17, 2024 — Antineutrinos generated in nuclear fission can be measured to remotely monitor the operation of nuclear reactors and verify that they are not being used to produce nuclear weapons, report scientists. ...

Solid-State Qubits: Forget About Being Clean, Embrace Mess

Jan. 15, 2024 — New findings debunk previous wisdom that solid-state qubits need to be super dilute in an ultra-clean material to achieve long lifetimes. Instead, cram lots of rare-earth ions into a crystal and some ...

Machine Learning Boosts Search for New Materials

Dec. 19, 2023 — During X-ray diffraction experiments, bright lasers shine on a sample, producing diffracted images that contain important information about the material's structure and properties. But ...

Newly Developed Material Gulps Down Hydrogen, Spits It Out, Protects Fusion Reactor Walls

Dec. 15, 2023 — A recent advance could enable more efficient compact fusion reactors that are easier to repair and ...

Extracting Uranium from Seawater as Another Source of Nuclear Fuel

Dec. 13, 2023 — Oceans cover most of Earth's surface and support a staggering number of lifeforms, but they're also home to a dilute population of uranium ions. And -- if we can get these particular ions ...

Ancient Stars Made Extraordinarily Heavy Elements

Dec. 7, 2023 — How heavy can an element be? An international team of researchers has found that ancient stars were capable of producing elements with atomic masses greater than 260, heavier than any element on the ...

Revolutionary Breakthrough in the Manufacture of Photovoltaic Cells

Nov. 22, 2023 — Engineers have achieved a world first by manufacturing the first back-contact micrometric photovoltaic ...

Nuclear Expansion Failure Shows Simulations Require Change

Nov. 16, 2023 — A team of researchers looked back at a model that predicted nuclear power would expand dramatically in order to assess the efficacy of energy policies implemented ...

A Novel System for Slip Prevention of Unmanned Rovers

Nov. 15, 2023 — Planetary rovers, which help humanity explore other planets, can deviate from their targeted paths or get stuck due to slipping on loose soil. To combat this problem, researchers have developed a ...

Milestone Moment Toward Development of Nuclear Clock

Nov. 3, 2023 — Physicists have started the countdown on developing a new generation of timepieces capable of shattering records by providing accuracy of up to one second in 300 billion years, or about 22 times the ...

Monitoring Nuclear Weapons Stockpiles With Radio Waves

Oct. 30, 2023 — Monitoring whether states are complying with disarmament treaties is not an easy task. An international team has been exploring remote monitoring with the help of two antennas and a couple of ...

Chi-Nu Experiment Ends With Data to Support Nuclear Security, Energy Reactors

Sep. 28, 2023 — The results of the Chi-Nu physics experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory have contributed essential, never-before-observed data for enhancing nuclear security applications, understanding ...

Milestone for Novel Atomic Clock

Sep. 27, 2023 — An international research team has taken a decisive step toward a new generation of atomic clocks. The researchers have created a much more precise pulse generator based on the element scandium, ...

Groundbreaking Research Shows That the Limits of Nuclear Stability Change in Stellar Environments Where Temperatures Reach Billions of Degrees Celsius

Sep. 18, 2023 — New research is challenging the scientific status quo on the limits of the nuclear chart in hot stellar environments where temperatures reach billions of degrees ...

Exploring Light Neutron-Rich Nuclei: First Observation of Oxygen-28

Aug. 30, 2023 — The neutron-rich oxygen isotopes oxygen-27 and oxygen-28 exist as very short-lived resonances, report scientists based on the first observation of their decay into oxygen-24 and three and four ...

Researchers Develop a Unique Quantum Mechanical Approach to Determining Metal Ductility

Aug. 14, 2023 — A team of scientists developed a new quantum-mechanics-based approach to predict metal ductility. The team demonstrated its effectiveness on refractory multi-principal-element ...

Nuclear Spin's Impact on Biological Processes Uncovered

Aug. 1, 2023 — Researchers have discovered that nuclear spin influences biological processes, challenging long-held beliefs. They found that certain isotopes behave differently in chiral environments, affecting ...