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Andrew Conant from ORNL's nuclear nonproliferation division is collaborating with national laboratories to analyze isotopes generated in nuclear reactors. This research aims to glean insights into the operations and objectives of these reactors. ORNL, renowned for its leadership in nuclear research, maintains its legacy by promoting the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy worldwide.

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Despite strong regulations and robust international safeguards, authorities routinely interdict nuclear materials outside of regulatory control. Researchers at ORNL are exploring a new method that would give authorities the ability to analyze intercepted nuclear material and determine where it originated. 

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ORNL researchers completed successful testing of a gallium nitride transistor for use in more accurate sensors operating near the core of a nuclear reactor. This is an important technical advance particularly for monitoring new, compact.

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Researchers used quantum simulations to obtain new insights into the nature of neutrinos — the mysterious subatomic particles that abound throughout the universe — and their role in the deaths of massive stars.

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An Oak Ridge National Laboratory team revealed how chemical species form in a highly reactive molten salt mixture of aluminum chloride and potassium chloride by unraveling vibrational signatures and observing ion exchanges. 

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Anuj J. Kapadia, who leads the Advanced Computing in Health Sciences Section at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was named a 2024 Fellow by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

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Phani Ratna Vanamali Marthi, an R&D associate in the Power Systems Resilience group at ORNL, has been elevated to the grade of senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest technical professional organization

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Researchers at ORNL and the University of Maine have designed and 3D-printed a single-piece, recyclable natural-material floor panel tested to be strong enough to replace construction materials like steel. 

Two green oak leaves with other matter in two circles above them. To the right, a yellow blob. To the left, a brown material inside a bowl.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists ingeniously created a sustainable, soft material by combining rubber with woody reinforcements and incorporating “smart” linkages between the components that unlock on demand.

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John Lagergren, a staff scientist in Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Plant Systems Biology group, is using his expertise in applied math and machine learning to develop neural networks to quickly analyze the vast amounts of data on plant traits amassed at ORNL’s Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory.