From atomic nuclei to astrophysics, collaborative program builds basis for scientific discoveries

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is leading two nuclear physics research projects within the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing, or SciDAC, program from the Department of Energy Office of Science. One of the projects is called Nuclear Computational Low-Energy Initiative, or NUCLEI. The other is Exascale Nuclear Astrophysics for FRIB, or ENAF.

Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) selects Symplectic Elements to enable comprehensive research management

Digital Science is pleased to announce that Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has chosen Symplectic Elements from Digital Science’s flagship products to advance awareness of its world-class research.

Research demonstrates that asteroid deflection can be enhanced by different neutron energies

A research collaboration between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Air Force Institute of Technology investigates how the neutron energy output from a nuclear device detonation can affect the deflection of an asteroid.

Scientists compared the resulting asteroid deflection from two different neutron energy sources, representative of fission and fusion neutrons, allowing for side-by-side comparisons. The goal was to understand which neutron energies released from a nuclear explosion are better for deflecting an asteroid and why, potentially paving the way for optimized deflection performance.

Nuclear War Could Trigger Big El Niño and Decrease Seafood

A nuclear war could trigger an unprecedented El Niño-like warming episode in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, slashing algal populations by 40 percent and likely lowering the fish catch, according to a Rutgers-led study. The research, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, shows that turning to the oceans for food if land-based farming fails after a nuclear war is unlikely to be a successful strategy – at least in the equatorial Pacific.

As ORNL builds novel reactor, nuclear industry benefits from technology

Scientists at DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory working on the Transformational Challenge Reactor, a microreactor built using 3D printing, find their work may revolutionize manufacturing in the nuclear industry — and in other industries, too.

How Old are Whale Sharks? Nuclear Bomb Legacy Reveals Their Age

Nuclear bomb tests during the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s have helped scientists accurately estimate the age of whale sharks, the biggest fish in the seas, according to a Rutgers-led study. It’s the first time the age of this majestic species has been verified. One whale shark was an estimated 50 years old when it died, making it the oldest known of its kind. Another shark was an estimated 35 years old.

ORNL, TVA sign agreement to collaborate on advanced reactor technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Valley Authority have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate a new generation of flexible, cost-effective advanced nuclear reactors.

Smaller Detection Device Effective for Nuclear Treaty Verification, Archaeology Digs

Most nuclear data measurements are performed at accelerators large enough to occupy a geologic formation a kilometer wide. But a portable device that can reveal the composition of materials quickly on-site would greatly benefit cases such as in archaeology and nuclear arms treaty verification. Research published this week in AIP Advances used computational simulations to show that with the right geometric adjustments, it is possible to perform accurate neutron resonance transmission analysis in a device just 5 meters long.

New Doomsday Clock time signals inability or direct unwillingness of leaders to cooperatively respond to devastating threats to our planet

George A. Lopez, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies at Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies offers the following comments on the movement of the Doomsday Clock. In addition, he can comment on nuclear proliferation…

Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Doomsday Clock and Nuclear and Climate Threats

New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 23, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Alan Robock, an expert on nuclear winter, climate change and geoengineering, is available to discuss the Doomsday Clock moving to within 100 seconds of midnight today. “Humanity continues to face two…