Science Area: National Security

As the world has grown more technologically advanced and interconnected, the physical limitations of adversarial engagements have diminished.

The creation of physics-based gas centrifuge simulations to better understand centrifuge design for uranium enrichment is the primary purpose of a program called the Advance Simulation Initiatives for Nonproliferation Applications, or ASINA.

ORNL’s Geospatial Science and Human Security Division combines expertise in high-performance computing and geospatial science to provide decision-makers with timely information for rapid emergency response, disaster recovery and power restoration. 

Energy infrastructure is so interconnected that cascading failures can have wide-reaching effects on access to safe food, winter heating and life-sustaining medical devices.

A lesser-known mission of the Manhattan Project during the last two years of World War II saw American engineers traveling around Europe to understand the state of the Nazi nuclear program.

While cameras are seemingly everywhere these days, identifying individuals using images is still a challenge. Traditional camera techniques are often complicated by poor lighting and unfocused scenes with fast-moving subjects.

Today, identity science is shifting toward scenarios in which individu...

Despite being landlocked in the hills of East Tennessee, fast-attack submarine Lt. Eric Stromme of the U.S. Navy found himself engrossed in his work at ORNL.

During a one-year assignment at the lab, his most memorable project was a groundbreaking experiment that tested an engine made from an alum...