Research Initiatives
MATERIALS
Scientists use our magnets to explore semiconductors, superconductors, newly-grown crystals, buckyballs and materials from the natural world — research that reveals the secret workings of materials and empowers us to develop new technologies.
ENERGY
Scientists here are working to optimize petroleum refining, advance potential bio-fuels such as pine needles and algae, and fundamentally change the way we store and deliver energy by developing better batteries.
LIFE
With the world’s strongest MRI magnet, scientists here study everything from living animals to individual cells, from proteins to disease-fighting molecules found in plants and animals — work that could improve treatment of AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
Latest Science Highlights
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High temperature superconducting CORC® cabling technology
12 September 2022
Large superconducting magnets need multi-conductor cables, which act like multi-lane freeways to allow electricity to switch lanes if one gets blocked. Here cross-sectional images of CORC wires reveal insights to improve the contact between conductors.
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A Quantum Development: Massive Hyperfine Interaction in a Lu(II) Qubit
12 September 2022
Electron spin coherence was enhanced through engineering of so-called clock transitions in molecular magnets, an advance in quantum computing strategies. The use of clock transitions to enhance quantum coherence is employed in trapped-ion quantum computers, an approach that may also be viable in magnetic molecules to yield next-generation quantum technologies.
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Mystery of the Origin of MRI Signal in Stroke Solved
12 September 2022
MRI scans taken after a stroke show brightness around the injury, the origins of which have been a long-standing and vexatious mystery for scientists. This work suggests these MRI signal changes result from fluid changes in glial cell volumes, results that could advance our ability to distinguish reversible and irreversible stroke events or provide a better understanding for other disorders such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and mood or sleep disorders.
Featured Publications
Microstructure of Glidcop AL-60, Y. Xin, et al., IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 32 (6), 7100105 (2022), See Science Highlight or Read online
Surprising Rigidity of Functionally Important Water Molecules Buried in the Lipid Headgroup Region, R. Zhang, et al., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 144, 7881-7888 (2022), See Science Highlight or Read online
NMR FAIR Data - Effects of Natural Selection on the Phase-Separation Properties of an RNA-Binding Protein in Mammals, P. Dasmeh, et al., Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2021, Vol 38 (3), 940–951, See Science Highlight or Read online
One-way Optical Transparency at Telecommunications Wavelengths, K. Park, et al., Nature Quantum Materials (npj), 7 (1), 38 (2022), See Science Highlight or Read online
The Blood Proteoform Atlas: A reference map of proteoforms in human blood cells, R. D. Melani, et al., Science, 375 (6579), 411-419, See Science Highlight or Read online
Crossover Between Strongly Coupled and Weakly Coupled Exciton Superfluids, X. Liu, et al., Science, 375 (6577), 205-209 (2022), See Science Highlight or Read online
Isolation of a Triplet Benzene Dianion, C. A. Gould, et al., Nature Chemistry, 13, 1001-1005 (2021), See Science Highlight or Read online
New correlated quasiparticles in an atomically-thin semiconductor, J. Li, et al., Nano Letters, 22, 426 (2022), See Science Highlight or Read online
Magnetostriction in AlFe2B2 at 25 T Measured by X-Ray Diffraction, S. Sharma, et al., Physical Review Materials, 5, 064409 (2021), See Science Highlight or Read online
Understanding How Fungi Build Their Cell Walls for Protection, A. Chakraborty, et al., Nature Communications, 12, 6346 (2021), See Science Highlight or Read online
Quantum Rivals in Nitride Materials, P. Dang, et al., Science Advances, 7 (8), eabf1388 (2021), See Science Highlight or Read online
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Safety at the Lab
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What Scientists Do at the MagLab
