In an experiment akin to stop-motion photography, scientists have isolated the energetic movement of an electron while “freezing” the motion of the much larger atom it orbits in a sample of liquid water. The findings, reported in the journal Science, provide a new window into the electronic structure of molecules in the liquid phase on a timescale previously unattainable with X-rays. The new technique reveals the immediate electronic response when a target is hit with an X-ray, an important step in understanding the effects of radiation exposure on objects and people. Read More about this IDREAM Energy Frontier Research Center-funded, multi-institutional research.
Machine learning provides chemistry of uranium insight for advanced reactors
PNNL researchers have developed sensors and a technique for real-time on-line monitoring of the uranium chemistry inside molten salt reactors. The latest research, led by Chemist Shirmir Branch, was featured on the cover of the American Chemical Society’s Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research journal. Read More.
JOURNAL SPOTlights women in international nuclear security
The complexities of nuclear security are not purely technical. A special issue of the International Journal of Nuclear Security, in collaboration with the National Nuclear Security Administration Nuclear Security Women Initiative, focuses exclusively on gender in the international field of nuclear security. Read More.
students deliver imaginative solution for training
PNNL instructors were looking for some fresh ideas to make their operational technology assurance course, sponsored by the National Nuclear Security Administration, more realistic for attendees. Fortunately, through a partnership with Washington State University, engineering students delivered an imaginative and cost-effective solution. Read More.
PNNL at waste management symposia 2024
Nearly 60 researchers from PNNL will join peers from around the world at Waste Management Symposia 2024, a premier international conference focused on radioactive waste management. PNNL's involvement includes sharing environmental management and nuclear energy expertise, tools, and research results—plus discussing workforce development, facility management, and contract operations. Read more about PNNL's presence at the event.
PNNL's multidisciplinary expertise in nuclear science provides solutions to some of the world’s most complex environmental, radiological, and national security challenges. Nuclear@PNNL gives readers a firsthand look at PNNL's focus on nuclear materials behavior, chemistry, forensics, and processing to advance nuclear energy, resolve legacy waste, and support national security. Each issue highlights the expertise of our researchers, their contributions to the nuclear mission space, and our state-of-the-art research facilities where discoveries and advancements are made.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in sustainable energy and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the PNNL's News Center. Follow us onTwitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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