NASA is advancing nuclear power and propulsion in space to accomplish new national space objectives. This has put a new spotlight on nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP). NTP systems work by pumping a liquid propellant, most likely hydrogen, through a reactor core. Uranium atoms split apart inside the core and release heat through fission. This physical […]
Materials modeling improved by giving atoms freedom
Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Calif., created a new model for crystal defects at realistic temperatures. As most materials, especially metals and ceramics, are crystals, their atoms are arranged in three-dimensional lattices that repeat the same exact pattern, over and over again. But there’s a well-known saying in materials science: “Crystals are like people. It is the defects that tend to make them interesting.”
Ancient zircon crystals offer a glimpse into early Earth history
To determine what Earth was like early in its lifetime, researchers turn to minerals called zircons, which are resilient against physical and chemical alteration over time and thus preserve a precise chemical record about the moments in which they were formed. Some of the oldest zircon crystals are 4.4 billion years old. Now, a new study at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) examines these most ancient zircon grains and discovers evidence for two key findings.
3.3 TB in one second? Samsung HBM4 explained by the numbers
Take a closer look at Samsung’s next‑gen AI memory, HBM4, delivering 3.3 TB/s bandwidth, 2,048 I/O pins, 12‑high stacking up to 36 GB, and 40% better energy efficiency for the generative AI era.
Material model adapts stiffness using sound waves
Using this model of a 1D material, researchers demonstrate a new way to remotely change a material’s stiffness using sound waves. The team was co-led by the University of California San Diego, University of Michigan, and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at Laboratory of Acoustics of Le Mans University.