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Researchers relied on support from ORNL’s Quantum Computing User Program to simulate a key quantum state at one of the largest scales reported. The findings could mark a step toward improving quantum simulations.  Credit: Getty Images

Researchers simulated a key quantum state at one of the largest scales reported, with support from the Quantum Computing User Program, or QCUP, at ORNL. 

ORNL’s Erin Webb is co-leading a new Circular Bioeconomy Systems Convergent Research Initiative focused on advancing production and use of renewable carbon from Tennessee to meet societal needs. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

ORNL’s Erin Webb is co-leading a new Circular Bioeconomy Systems Convergent Research Initiative focused on advancing production and use of renewable carbon from Tennessee to meet societal needs. 

Intern Noah Miller, left, and his mentor, Joe McVeigh, stand with their poster at the American Glovebox Society conference in 2023.

College intern Noah Miller is on his 3rd consecutive internship at ORNL, currently working on developing an automated pellet inspection system for Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Plutonium-238 Supply Program. Along with his success at ORNL, Miller is also focusing on becoming a mentor for kids, giving back to the place where he discovered his passion and developed his skills. 

Iridium-192 will be irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor at ORNL before being sent to QSA Global for processing.

A key industrial isotope, iridium-192, has not been produced in the U.S. in almost 20 years. DOE's Isotope Program and QSA Global Inc. announced a joint product development agreement to initiate U.S. production of iridium-192. 

Applications for the U.S. Quantum Information Science Summer School are open until March 15, 2024. Credit: Laddy Fields/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

From July 15 to 26, 2024, the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory will host the second U.S. Quantum Information Science, or QIS, Summer School.

ORNL’s Tomás Rush examines a culture as part of his research into the plant-fungus relationship that can help or hinder ecosystem health. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

New computational framework speeds discovery of fungal metabolites, key to plant health and used in drug therapies and for other uses. 
 

ORNL’s Nagi Rao discusses the lab’s deployed “dark fiber” testbed for quantum networking at SC23 in Denver, Colorado. Credit: Mariam Kiran/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

ORNL’s successes in QIS and its forward-looking strategy were recently recognized in the form of three funding awards that will help ensure the laboratory remains a leader in advancing quantum computers and networks.

Prasanna Balaprakash, who leads ORNL’s AI Initiative, participated in events hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Task Force on American Innovation to discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by AI. Credit: Brian Mosley/Computing Research Association

In summer 2023, ORNL's Prasanna Balaprakash was invited to speak at a roundtable discussion focused on the importance of academic artificial intelligence research and development hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Symposium guests view posters in the poster competition. Credit: Laetitia Delmau/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The 21st Symposium on Separation Science and Technology for Energy Applications, Oct. 23-26 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton West in Knoxville, attracted 109 researchers, including some from Austria and the Czech Republic. Besides attending many technical sessions, they had the opportunity to tour the Graphite Reactor, High Flux Isotope Reactor and both supercomputers at ORNL.

2023 Top Science Achievements at SNS & HFIR

The 2023 top science achievements from HFIR and SNS feature a broad range of materials research published in high impact journals such as Nature and Advanced Materials.