A year in review: Argonne’s breakthroughs in 2022

Argonne researchers put their stamp on 2022 with accomplishments as varied as quantum science, wearable medical sensors, and climate change resilience and recovery.

Media Tip: Shock to the system: Using electricity to find materials that can learn

Is it possible for nonbiological materials to ​“learn”? The answer is yes. Scientists used the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility located at the DOE”s Argonne National Laboratory, to observe a nonliving material mimic behavior…

Computer hardware mimics brain functions

A multi-institutional team, including Argonne National Laboratory, has developed a material with which computer chips can be designed to reconfigure their circuits when presented with new information. It does so by mimicking functions in the human brain.

Ultrafast ‘Camera’ Captures Hidden Behavior of Potential ‘Neuromorphic’ Material

Imagine a computer that can think as fast as the human brain while using very little energy. That’s the goal of scientists seeking to discover or develop “neuromorphic” materials that can send and process signals as easily as the brain’s neurons and synapses. In a paper just published scientists describe surprising new details about vanadium dioxide, one of the most promising neuromorphic materials.

Argonne scientists help explain phenomenon in hardware that could revolutionize AI

A group of scientists from around the country, including those at Argonne National Laboratory, have discovered a way to make AI-related hardware more efficient and sustainable.

Shine On: Avalanching Nanoparticles Break Barriers to Imaging Cells in Real Time

A team of researchers co-led by Berkeley Lab and Columbia University has developed a new material called avalanching nanoparticles that, when used as a microscopic probe, offers a simpler approach to taking high-resolution, real-time snapshots of a cell’s inner workings at the nanoscale.

Oil and Water Almost Mix in Novel Neuromorphic Computing Components

Researchers developed a novel memory storage device that uses soft biomaterials to mimic synapses. The device consists of two layers of fatty organic compounds called lipids. The lipid layers form at an oil-water interface to create a soft membrane. When scientists apply an electric charge to the membrane, the membrane changes shape in ways that can store energy and filter biological and chemical data.

Novel insight reveals topological tangle in unexpected corner of the universe

In a recent theoretical study, scientists discovered the presence of the Hopfion topological structure in nano-sized particles of ferroelectrics — materials with promising applications in microelectronics and information technology.

Reinventing the Computer: Brain-Inspired Computing for a Post-Moore’s Law Era

Since 1947, computing development has seen a consistent doubling of the number of transistors that can fit on a chip. But that trend, Moore’s Law, may reach its limit as components of submolecular size encounter problems with thermal noise, making further scaling impossible. In this week’s Applied Physics Reviews, researchers present an examination of the computing landscape, focusing on functions needed to advance brain-inspired neuromorphic computing.

Argonne researchers to share scientific computing insights at SC19

Several Argonne researchers will attend the Supercomputing 2019 (SC19) conference to share scientific computing advances and insights with an eye toward the upcoming exascale era.