Los Alamos Mesoscale Materials Science

Conquering the mesoscale: As the science questions of the next decade are anticipated, experimental insights on material performance at the mesoscale are a clear challenge; one fit for Los Alamos in partnership with our sister labs and academia.

What is the mesoscale

The mesoscale is the spatial scale beyond the atomic, molecular, and nanoscale, where a material’s structure strongly influences its macroscopic behaviors and properties. Probing, characterizing—and ultimately controlling—materials at the mesoscale is challenging, requiring advanced experimental tools and modeling techniques coupled with the power of exascale computing to capture the complex phenomena at work.

Why mesoscale science matters

Leaders in the nation’s materials community recognize the transformative opportunities—from new technologies, to solutions to societal problems, to novel fundamental science discoveries—represented by a thorough understanding of the mesoscale^[1-5].

Mesoscale science at Los Alamos

With a better understanding of materials at the mesoscale, Los Alamos National Laboratory fulfills a mission need to sustain the nation’s nuclear deterrent and make fundamental science discoveries. Advances in mesoscale science play a key role in the Laboratory’s Materials Strategy, representing decadal goals in several of our Areas of Leadership.

• Fiscal Year 2018 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, Report to Congress (pdf)
• Challenges at the Frontiers of Matter and Energy: Transformative Opportunities for Discovery Science (pdf)
• From Quanta to the Continuum: Opportunities for Mesoscale Science (pdf)
• MaRIE Workshops and Reports