January 2019 – July 2022
Studies done at the ALS showed that, in an iron-based superconductor, a mysterious phase transition is driven by interactions between the material’s 2D layers. The work suggests that interlayer interactions are non-negligible and can tune superconductivity. https://als.lbl.gov/interlayer-coupling-drives-mysterious-phase-transition/
The Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Berkeley Lab produces cutting edge research for the DOE and the nation. For the FY22 cycle, 99 LDRD projects are being funded at a total value of $24.1M. Read more about the projects and PIs receiving funding. Photo taken in 2018. https://research.lbl.gov/2022/02/25/ldrd-program-announces-fy22-projects/
Researchers used crystallography at the ALS to trace water-molecule uptake in a porous compound, then made modifications that improved the material’s efficiency at harvesting water from the air. This is an important step toward alleviating water shortages in the future. https://als.lbl.gov/improving-the-efficiency-of-atmospheric-water-harvesting/
The Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT) team has designed an electronics control system for superconducting qubits—QubiC for short—that is customizable and modular and is inspired by particle accelerator R&D at the ATAP division. QubiC’s hardware and software have been open-sourced for collaboration. https://crd.lbl.gov/news-and-publications/news/2022/open-sourced-control-hardware-for-quantum-computers
Lab and Heidelberg University researchers are using soft X-ray tomography, a microscopic imaging technique that can generate detailed, three-dimensional scans, to show how cells respond to infection and possible treatments. The method allows the study of infections without risk of contamination. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2022/02/25/safely-studying-infectedcells/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1646149108763759&usg=AOvVaw2y_J-5c3vIUlZZMkW-cjT1
A collaboration between Berkeley Lab’s Physics Division and the Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division has yielded a new approach to quantum error mitigation – “noise estimation circuits” – that could help make quantum computing’s theoretical potential a reality. https://cs.lbl.gov/news-media/news/2022/cutting-through-the-noise-berkeley-lab-error-mitigation-approach-helps-quantum-computers-level-up/
Nigel Mouncey, the director of the DOE Joint Genome Institute, and Dr. Timur Durrani, the Lab’s medical director, recently sat down to discuss viruses, COVID in particular, the COVID variants and what might be next, and the role of vaccines in moving from a pandemic to an endemic state. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MWTN_HZ-gs
MIT physicists and colleagues, including scientists from Berkeley Lab, have discovered the “secret sauce” behind the exotic properties of a new quantum material known as a kagome metal, which has long mystified scientists. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2022/02/15/scientists-discover-secret-sauce-behind-exotic-properties-of-new-quantum-material/
The Quantum Systems Accelerator spearheaded state-of-the-art advancements in programmable quantum systems based on three leading technologies: neutral atoms, trapped ions, and superconducting circuits. From scientific papers to a quantum control systems roadmap, read about QSA’s 2021 achievements. https://archive.quantumsystemsaccelerator.org/qsa-science-breakthroughs-in-2021/
Humans may not be the only organisms hitching a ride by spacecraft. P. torokii, a new fungal strain that can attach to surfaces, has been discovered in a spacecraft assembly facility and named after a long-time Berkeley Lab microbiologist Tamas Torok. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2022/02/15/whats-in-a-name-for-a-new-fungal-strain/