Science

LANL Scientists Harnessing Light-Powered Nanoscale Electrical Currents To Propel Emerging Technologies

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Gold nanoantennas concentrate light waves into intense nanoscale “hot spots,” which excite electrons within an underlying atomically thin graphene layer. The asymmetric structure then points the electrons along a specific direction, driving electrical currents that are controllable and tunable at nanometer scales. Photo by Julia Chen

LANL News:

Traditional microelectronic architectures, with transistors to control electrical currents along wires, power everything from advanced computers to everyday devices. But with the integrated circuits offering diminishing returns Read More

National Museum Of Nuclear Science & History To Celebrate 26th Annual Einstein Gala

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Student demonstrations. Courtesy/The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

2023 National Award recipient Maria Korsnick. Courtesy/The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

NMNHS News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (NMNHS) will host the 26th Annual Einstein Gala, New Mexico’s biggest science party of the year, at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Sandia Resort and Casino.

All proceeds from the museum’s Einstein Gala fundraising event will help support the Museum’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Read More

Amazing Astrophotography Showcased At Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium Feb. 16

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Sunflower Galaxy (Messier 63) by Sergey Trudolyubov.  

PEEC News:

Marvel at the beauty of the cosmos during the astrophotography showcase at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 16 at the Los Alamos Nature Center’s planetarium.

Doors will open at 6:45 p.m. Local photographers Frasier and Cathy Goff, Sergey Trudolyubov, and Glen Wurden will unveil their captivating images of eclipses, deep sky objects, and more, inviting audiences to marvel at the celestial wonders captured through their lenses. Admission to this showcase is $8 for adults and $6 for children. Please note that planetarium programs are not Read More

Students Speak Up At 2024 STEAM Day At The Legislature

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LANL Foundation News:

SANTA FE — Hundreds of students flocked to the Roundhouse Thursday to advocate for STEAM education across New Mexico at this year’s STEAM Day at the Legislature, hosted by LANL Foundation.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education is a vital part of getting our state ready for the future. Every student in New Mexico should have access to STEAM education so they can developthe knowledge, skills, and practices demanded by the 21st Century.

Student speakers joined legislators Rep. Susan Herrera, Rep. Joseph Sanchez, and Sen. Leo Jaramillo Read More

LANL: Picturing Science At Summer Camp & More

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Picturing science at summer camp

This past summer, students hailing from diverse backgrounds — high schools and colleges across the Navajo reservation, New Mexico, southern Colorado and a historically black university in Louisiana — participated in the Wildfire Simulation & Data Visualization Camp at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Read the full story as it first appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) shares a compilation of news stories for the week of Jan. 29, 2024.

Science: Experimentation explores defects and fluctuations Read More

Oppenheimer: The Rest Of The Story – A Lecture By Dr. Siegfried Hecker In Dialogue With Alan Carr Feb. 13

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Dr. Siegfried Hecker

Los Alamos Historical Society News:

The community is invited to join the Los Alamos Historical Society for its monthly Lecture Series featuring Dr. Siegfried Hecker and Senior Historian Alan Carr. The lecture will take place 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, in the Duane Smith Auditorium.

Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer has captured the interest of nearly 100 million people around the world. Dr. Hecker will share his views on the legacy of Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, based on his more than five-decades associated with the laboratory Oppenheimer led. He will Read More

PEEC: Questions About The Night Sky? Ask An Astronomer

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PEEC News:

Do you have an astronomy question that has always intrigued you? How do we know the age of the universe? What IS the cosmic microwave background? Will we be swallowed by the black hole at the center of our galaxy? Now is your chance to ask the experts.

A panel of astronomers, including Galen Gisler, Rick Wallace, Steve Becker and Sergey Trudolyubov, will do their best to answer your night sky questions at 7 p.m., Friday Feb. 2, in the Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium. Depending on the weather, we may also go outside to observe the Los Alamos night sky.

The program is suitable for children Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory Research Demonstrates Material’s Quantum Topological Potential

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New research into topological phases of matter may spur advances in innovative quantum devices. As described in Nature Communications, a research team including Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists used a novel strain engineering approach to convert the material hafnium pentatelluride to a strong topological insulator phase, increasing its bulk electrical resistance while lowering it at the surface, a key to unlocking its quantum potential. Read the full article here. Courtesy/LANL Read More

LANL: Atmospheric Pressure Changes Could Be Driving Mars’ Elusive Methane Pulses

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New simulations are helping inform the Curiosity rover’s ongoing sampling campaign. Courtesy/NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

LANL News:

New research shows that atmospheric pressure fluctuations that pull gases up from underground could be responsible for releasing subsurface methane into Mars’ atmosphere; knowing when and where to look for methane can help the Curiosity rover search for signs of life.

“Understanding Mars’ methane variations has been highlighted by NASA’s Curiosity team as the next key step towards figuring out where it comes from,” John Ortiz said, a graduate student at Los Read More

2024 Los Alamos County Science Fair Results

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Los Alamos High School junior Brayden Allen. Courtesy/LAPS

Elementary Division. Courtesy/LAPS

LAPS News:

Barranca Mesa Elementary School hosted the 2024 Los Alamos County Science Fair where more than  100 students vied for top honors in the elementary, junior and senior divisions. Thirty-four students qualified for the 2024 Northeastern New Mexico Regional Science Fair which will be hosted by New Mexico Highlands University March 2.

Los Alamos High School junior Brayden Allen was awarded Best of Show for the Senior Division for his project in the Environmental Sciences category, “Reducing Read More