It has been a long-standing mystery in nuclear physics: why do the nuclei of some atoms emit more low-energy gamma rays than they should? The answer can be found in a new study from an international scientific team led by the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and including authors from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Published in Nature, the work sheds light on the internal structure of atomic nuclei and has far-reaching implications for national security and astrophysics. Gamma rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation like visible light and radio waves. Atomic
Space & AstronomyEnergy Policy#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Academic Engagement#Nuclear#Chem#and Isotopic S&T#Physical and Life Sciences#Top Story#astronomy
Technology & InnovationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Astronomers can't see dark matter directly, but know it's there: its gravity shapes galaxies and the large-scale structure of the cosmos. In an effort to uncover the composition of this hidden mass, a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is pursuing evidence of these particles that exist beyond the standard model of physics. In a new experimental campaign called Magnetometry for Neutrino physics (Magneto-ν), scientists at LLNL are searching for the sterile neutrino using nuclear beta decays of plutonium-241. This hypothetical neutrino species is significantly heavier than
Technology & Innovation#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Laboratory Directed Research and Development#Nuclear#Chem#and Isotopic S&T#Physical and Life Sciences#Top Story#advanced materials
Space & AstronomyLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
On a multi-billion-mile journey to the asteroid Psyche, a gamma-ray sensor developed by a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) took its first measurements of a planetary surface after 2.6 years in deep space. NASA's Psyche spacecraft flew behind Mars for a gravity assist, with the red planet's gravitational field acting as a slingshot to change the flight path and increase the velocity of the spacecraft. The sensor is part of the mission's gamma-ray spectrometer built in partnership with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The instrument will allow researchers to
Space & Astronomy#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Academic Engagement#Government#Nuclear and Chemical Sciences#Nuclear#Chem#and Isotopic S&T#Physical and Life Sciences
Press ReleasesLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
On July 16, 2024, a daytime meteor shook New York City with a sonic boom as it passed just south of the Statue of Liberty. A short time later, a more than two-pound meteorite crashed through the roof of a house in the town of Hillsborough, New Jersey. Now, an international team, including scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has analyzed that meteorite. Their results — which indicate that the meteor was once a part of an ancient, briny asteroid — appear in the journal Science Advances. "A forensic study of the fragments revealed that they contained preserved bits
Research#Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory#Nuclear#Chem#and Isotopic S&T#Physical and Life Sciences#Space security#Top Story
