The Institution Board of the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment recently recognized Los Alamos as a full member of the collaboration with voting rights to help decide the future of the experiment. The LHCb collaboration expects that the high-energy nuclear physics team at Los Alamos will co-lead and boost its incipient nuclear physics program. Seventy-nine organizations comprise the collaboration. Read the June 2019 issue here.

Current STE Highlights Issue:

The latest issue of the Science, Technology & Engineering Highlights is now online. Read the full June 2019 issue.

Featured Highlights

Neutron lifetime measured with unprecedented precision

Measuring the exact lifetime of neutrons is surprisingly difficult. The mean neutron lifetime (τ _n ) measurements helps scientists predict the atomic makeup of the early universe and search for physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The journal Science has published findings from researchers at Los Alamos and their collaborators of the first modern τ _n measurement with corrections that are smaller than the range of uncertainty.

Neutral uranium(VI) sulfido compound isolated and characterized for the first time

Los Alamos scientists synthesized several new compounds with uranium–sulfur bonds, including a neutral uranium(VI) compound with a terminal uranium sulfido ligand. These groundbreaking compounds offer researchers a unique opportunity to study the properties and advantages of uranium–sulfur bonding interactions.

Earthquakes and Machine Learning

Capitalizing on advances in artificial intelligence, researchers led by the Laboratory scientists used machine learning (ML) to process data generated during laboratory experiments and discovered hidden signals that precede “labquakes.” The ML algorithms they developed use acoustic signals emitted by experimental faults to accurately predict the timing, duration, and magnitude of laboratory earthquakes.

>Read these articles and more in the June 2019 issue.

About STE Highlights

The Science, Technology & Engineering Highlights feature some of the current, cutting-edge scientific research at Los Alamos. The highlights also include recent awards and recognitions of Los Alamos scientists. STE Highlights are published once a month and produced by the Laboratory's Science, Technology, and Engineering deputy directorate.