News Releases

Physical Sciences

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Sep-2025 07:11 ET (9-Sep-2025 11:11 GMT/UTC)

26-Nov-2024

Delay and pay: Tipping point costs quadruple after waiting

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The cost of reversing the effects of climate change—restoring melted polar sea ice, for example—quickly climbs nearly fourfold soon after a tipping point is crossed, according to new work publishing in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Much work has been done to explore the environmental costs tied to climate change. But this new study marks the first time researchers have quantified the costs of controlling tipping points before and after they unfold.

Journal: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

22-Nov-2024

Accessing the lesser known nucleon

DOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New results published in Physical Review Letters describe a first-time glimpse of the internal structure of the neutron thanks to the development of a special, 10-years-in-the-making detector installed in Experimental Hall B at Jefferson Lab.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

19-Nov-2024

Thermochemical tech shows promising path for building heat

DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Energy stored in thermochemical materials can effectively heat indoor spaces, particularly in humid regions, according to researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Journal: Applied Energy

19-Nov-2024

Spinning fusion fuel for efficiency

DOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new method to increase fusion-fuel efficiency would involve aligning the quantum spin of deuterium and tritium and changing the mix of the two fuels. The approach could boost tritium-burn efficiency by up to 10 times, reducing tritium needs and lowering fusion system costs. The technique could lead to safer, more compact fusion systems, making fusion energy more practical and affordable.

Journal: Nuclear Fusion

13-Nov-2024

How ‘clean’ does a quantum computing test facility need to be? PNNL scientists show the way

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How to keep stray radiation from “shorting” superconducting qubits; a pair of studies shows where ionizing radiation is lurking and how to banish it.

Journal: PRX Quantum
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy