Brookhaven National Laboratory
Tag archives for Brookhaven National Laboratory
Gluon Walls: A New Form of Matter?
Posted by Karen McNulty Walsh on January 10, 2013 
We sat down with Brookhaven theoretical physicist Raju Venugopalan for a conversation about “color glass condensate” and the structure of visible matter in the universe. Q. We’ve heard a lot recently about a “new form of matter” possibly seen at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe — a state of saturated gluons called “color…
Posted by 
See the way those smooth, amorphous blobs rapidly transform into textured honeycombs? Something similar is probably happening right now inside your laptop or smartphone’s battery, providing you with portable power. But the cherished efficiency and portability of those compact lithium-ion batteries comes with a cost: each cycle of discharge/recharge degrades the material’s essential structure and…
High-temperature superconductors (HTS), capable of storing and transmitting electricity with perfect efficiency, are a theoretical stumbling block. The mechanism underlying HTS behavior is a mystery, and the subject of significant contention and investigation among scientists. This puzzle, unlike headline-making unknowns such as dark energy (admittedly awesome and worth losing sleep over), could revolutionize our entire…
Launching Biological Samples with Sound
Posted by Kendra Snyder on July 7, 2011 At first glance, this video might look like it’s playing in reverse. But don’t worry, these stroboscopic images were patched together in the right order. Courtesy of Labcyte, Inc. The video shows a technique called acoustic drop ejection (ADE) – an idea based on sending ultrasonic waves near the surface of a liquid to eject…
Next-generation Aerosol-sampling Stations to Head for India
Posted by Kendra Snyder on June 14, 2011 This guest post is written by Stephen R. Springston, an atmospheric chemist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. After receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry from Indiana University, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah before joining Brookhaven in 1986. Stephen Springston After studying clouds and climate in Oklahoma during tornado season and storms atop…
Solar Farm, East-Coast Style
Posted by Kendra Snyder on June 9, 2011 Brookhaven will soon be home to the largest solar farm in the eastern United States. The Long Island Solar Farm, being constructed by BP Solar and the Long Island Power Authority on Brookhaven Lab’s campus, will produce 32 megawatts of power when complete – enough to power about 4,500 homes. The Long Island Solar Farm…
Answering a “Burning” Question: How do UTI-causing Bacteria Stick to Bladder Cells?
Posted by Kendra Snyder on June 3, 2011 In news that may shake the cranberry juice industry to its core, new atomic-level “snapshots” reveal how bacteria such as E. coli produce and secrete sticky appendages called pili, which help the microbes attach to and infect human bladder cells. These crystal structures — produced at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven Lab…
NSLS-II Digs Up History
Posted by Kendra Snyder on May 25, 2011 Five years before becoming fully operational, Brookhaven’s National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) already is leading to discoveries — of the historical kind. Pieces of newspaper dug up at the NSLS-II construction site, which include a story about a boxing match scheduled for October 2, 1917 – Tommy Tuohey versus Ed Wallace As earthwork takes…
Whoooah, we’re halfway there…
Posted by Kendra Snyder on March 23, 2011 Construction on Brookhaven’s National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) — which will allow scientists to explore everything from fuel cell catalysts and soil samples to molecules vital for human life — has passed the 50-percent completion mark.
Pop Goes the Photomultiplier Tube
Posted by Kendra Snyder on February 8, 2011 How do scientists make glass stronger? Break it. Brookhaven Lab physicists and engineers take this hands-on approach a step further. In order to strengthen the design of glass bulbs known as photomultiplier tubes, the researchers submerge the devices in 500,000 gallons of pressurized water, punch a small hole through their sides, and watch as the…
