Latest news from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on News en-us Copyright 2025 News 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/qsa-drives-breakthroughs-with-superconducting-qubits/?sc=rsin /articles/qsa-drives-breakthroughs-with-superconducting-qubits/?sc=rsin Thu, 01 May 2025 16:45:46 EST Teams working on superconducting qubit platforms enable the simulation of complex phenomena and pave the way for versatile quantum systems. Their collaborative efforts are accelerating progress toward fault-tolerant quantum computing. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/scientists-crack-decades-old-puzzle-in-co2-to-fuel-conversion/?sc=rsin /articles/scientists-crack-decades-old-puzzle-in-co2-to-fuel-conversion/?sc=rsin Mon, 28 Apr 2025 11:00:57 EST Researchers have uncovered new insights into electrochemical CO2 reduction, a process by which energy from the sun can be used to convert carbon dioxide into liquid fuels and other useful chemicals. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/scientists-develop-artificial-leaf-that-uses-sunlight-to-produce-valuable-chemicals/?sc=rsin /articles/scientists-develop-artificial-leaf-that-uses-sunlight-to-produce-valuable-chemicals/?sc=rsin Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:00:51 EST Decades of research leads to self-contained solar panels that convert CO2 into C2 products, valuable precursory chemicals of innumerable products in our everyday lives, from plastic polymers to jet fuel. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/qsa-research-highlights-molecules-as-elements-in-quantum-computing/?sc=rsin /articles/qsa-research-highlights-molecules-as-elements-in-quantum-computing/?sc=rsin Tue, 22 Apr 2025 18:35:59 EST A summary of experimental work by QSA researchers at partner institutions, focusing on using advanced optical tweezers to manipulate complex molecules. These improvements enable precise control at the molecular level, significantly progressing quantum computing and simulation technologies. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/a-quiet-revolution-new-technique-could-accelerate-noise-free-superconducting-qubits-for-quantum-computing/?sc=rsin /articles/a-quiet-revolution-new-technique-could-accelerate-noise-free-superconducting-qubits-for-quantum-computing/?sc=rsin Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:30:41 EST Scientists have developed a new fabrication technique that could improve noise robustness in superconducting qubits, a key technology to enabling large-scale quantum computers. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/moir-than-meets-the-eye/?sc=rsin /articles/moir-than-meets-the-eye/?sc=rsin Mon, 24 Mar 2025 11:00:52 EST Researchers have discovered that phasons, low-temperature quasiparticles found in crystal lattices, enable interlayer excitons to move at very low temperatures, when motion should stop. In addition to contributing to foundational materials science knowledge, this discovery could help improve the stability of quantum technologies, such as using excitons as qubits. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/desi-opens-access-to-the-largest-3d-map-of-the-universe-yet/?sc=rsin /articles/desi-opens-access-to-the-largest-3d-map-of-the-universe-yet/?sc=rsin Wed, 19 Mar 2025 18:00:00 EST A new data release from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument is now available for researchers to explore. The collection contains information on 18.7 million galaxies, quasars, and stars -- the largest dataset of its kind ever shared. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/new-desi-results-strengthen-hints-that-dark-energy-may-evolve/?sc=rsin /articles/new-desi-results-strengthen-hints-that-dark-energy-may-evolve/?sc=rsin Wed, 19 Mar 2025 18:00:00 EST The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument used millions of galaxies and quasars to build the largest 3D map of our universe to date. Combining the DESI data with other experiments shows signs that the impact of dark energy may be weakening over time -- and the standard model of how the universe works may need an update. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/scientists-discover-new-heavy-metal-molecule-berkelocene/?sc=rsin /articles/scientists-discover-new-heavy-metal-molecule-berkelocene/?sc=rsin Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:00:11 EST Scientists have discovered "berkelocene," the first organometallic molecule to be characterized containing the heavy element berkelium. The breakthrough disrupts long-held theories about the chemistry of the elements that follow uranium in the periodic table. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/a-new-way-to-engineer-composite-materials/?sc=rsin /articles/a-new-way-to-engineer-composite-materials/?sc=rsin Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:00:33 EST A new study led by researchers at Berkeley Lab outlines a way to engineer pseudo-bonds in materials. Instead of forming chemical bonds, which is what makes epoxies and other composites so tough, the chains of molecules entangle in a way that is fully reversible. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/small-but-mighty-tesseract-joins-the-hunt-for-dark-matter/?sc=rsin /articles/small-but-mighty-tesseract-joins-the-hunt-for-dark-matter/?sc=rsin Thu, 06 Mar 2025 06:45:26 EST Using super-sensitive detectors smaller than a stamp, a new experiment is searching for dark matter at masses no other experiment has explored. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/for-better-quantum-sensing-go-with-the-flow2/?sc=rsin /articles/for-better-quantum-sensing-go-with-the-flow2/?sc=rsin Wed, 05 Mar 2025 11:00:43 EST Scientists encased nanodiamonds in tiny moving droplets of water to improve quantum sensing. The new technique lets researchers detect trace amounts of certain ions and molecules, and could someday find applications in environmental monitoring, medicine, bioengineering, and more. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/qsa-quantum-technologies-advance-insights-into-materials-physics/?sc=rsin /articles/qsa-quantum-technologies-advance-insights-into-materials-physics/?sc=rsin Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:05:10 EST QSA plays a critical role in supporting the missions of the DOE's Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/new-photon-avalanching-nanoparticles-could-enable-next-generation-optical-computers/?sc=rsin /articles/new-photon-avalanching-nanoparticles-could-enable-next-generation-optical-computers/?sc=rsin Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:00:15 EST Researchers have developed a new optical computing material from photon-avalanching nanoparticles. The breakthrough offers a path toward realizing smaller, faster components for next-generation computers. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/berkeley-lab-helps-explore-mysteries-of-asteroid-bennu/?sc=rsin /articles/berkeley-lab-helps-explore-mysteries-of-asteroid-bennu/?sc=rsin Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:40:02 EST Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source and Molecular Foundry provided powerful tools to study asteroid samples returned by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Researchers found that asteroid Bennu contained a set of salty mineral deposits that formed in an exact sequence when a brine evaporated, leaving clues about the type of water that flowed billions of years ago. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/former-berkeley-lab-director-paul-alivisatos-receives-the-enrico-fermi-presidential-award/?sc=rsin /articles/former-berkeley-lab-director-paul-alivisatos-receives-the-enrico-fermi-presidential-award/?sc=rsin Thu, 19 Dec 2024 21:20:04 EST Paul Alivisatos, a world-renowned chemist and president of the University of Chicago who served as director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) from 2009 to 2016, has been named one of this year's winners of the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/milestone-10-gev-experiment-shines-light-on-laser-plasma-interactions/?sc=rsin /articles/milestone-10-gev-experiment-shines-light-on-laser-plasma-interactions/?sc=rsin Wed, 11 Dec 2024 10:30:38 EST With dual lasers, researchers at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator Center accelerated a high-quality beam of electrons to 10 billion electronvolts in just 30 centimeters. The experiment gives scientists a "frame-by-frame" look at how a petawatt laser interacts with a long plasma channel, knowledge that's crucial for building future compact particle accelerators. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/a-film-capacitor-that-can-take-the-heat/?sc=rsin /articles/a-film-capacitor-that-can-take-the-heat/?sc=rsin Thu, 05 Dec 2024 05:00:00 EST Berkeley Lab and several collaborating institutions have successfully demonstrated a machine-learning technique to accelerate discovery of materials for film capacitors -- crucial components in electrification and renewable energy technologies. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/ai-helps-researchers-dig-through-old-maps-to-find-lost-oil-and-gas-wells/?sc=rsin /articles/ai-helps-researchers-dig-through-old-maps-to-find-lost-oil-and-gas-wells/?sc=rsin Wed, 04 Dec 2024 08:00:10 EST Undocumented orphaned wells pose hazards to both the environment and the climate. Scientists are building modern tools to help locate, assess, and pave the way for ultimately plugging these forgotten relics. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/new-desi-results-weigh-in-on-gravity/?sc=rsin /articles/new-desi-results-weigh-in-on-gravity/?sc=rsin Tue, 19 Nov 2024 20:00:00 EST Researchers used the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument to map how nearly 6 million galaxies cluster across 11 billion years of cosmic history. Their observations line up with what Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory