2018 News

21 December 2018

An illustration of the step-wise metamagnetic transition of a new quantum material discovered in the lab of Rice physicist Emilia Morosan.

Quirky kindred compounds could crack quantum code

"Kondo metamagnet" is first in a family of eccentric quantum crystals

30 October 2018

Best Research of 2017

35 highlights out of 423 reports representing the best of life sciences, chemistry, magnet science and technology, and condensed matter physics.

25 September 2018

MagLab scientists and engineers will decide which of four possible approaches to building the next generation of superconducting magnets is most promising. Clockwise from top left they are: Bi-2212; no-insulation REBCO; insulated REBCO; and Bi-2223.

Grant to launch next-generation of superconducting magnets

With funding from the National Science Foundation, scientists and engineers will determine the best way to build a new class of record-breaking instruments.

10 August 2018

Vincent Salters has pioneered techniques that look at isotopes of lutetium and hafnium in the Earth’s mantle.

MagLab geochemist receives high professional honor

Vincent Salters joins the elite ranks of American Geophysical Union fellows.

2 August 2018

MagLab physicist Arkady Shekhter described the finding as a new way metals can conduct electricity.

"Strange metals" just got stranger

A material already known for its unique behavior is found to carry current in a way never before observed.

11 July 2018

Paleobiogeochemist Nur Gueneli analyzes the oldest pigments yet discovered using magnets in the MagLab's Ion Cyclotron Resonance Facility.

Ancient chlorophyll was pretty in pink

Using tools at the MagLab, scientists pinpoint pigments that are the oldest on record.

9 July 2018

The MagLab's Jun Lu was awarded a grant to develop a novel oxidization treatment for superconducting magnets.

Award to help MagLab scientist push research into marketplace

"GAP" award will help further breakthrough treatment system for next-generation superconducting magnets.

15 June 2018

Lance Cooley brings three decades of experience to his new position as ASC director.

New director named for Applied Superconductivity Center

Lance Cooley brings cool plans for developing superconducting materials and magnets.

11 June 2018

Postdoctoral Fellow Theodore Them (left, holding an extinct fossil sample) and Assistant Professor Jeremy Owens (right, holding a rock core sample). The researchers used the samples to study the global record of oxygenation.

Prehistoric findings breathe new life into climate change impacts

Volcanic activity, declining ocean oxygen triggered mass extinction of ancient marine organisms.

7 June 2018

Martha Chacón-Patiño received the American Society for Mass Spectrometry Postdoctoral Career Development Award.

MagLab chemist wins prestigious career award

Martha Chacón-Patiño to jump-start collaboration that could advance both the treatment of cancer and the study of petroleum.

30 May 2018

New research has found evidence of life in an asteroid crater only a few years after its extinction-causing impact. The three hair-covered forms (top left) represent species of plankton found inside the crater. The geometric form (bottom left) is a species of algae. Small organisms like these moved into the crater so quickly that bones from animals killed by the impact, such as the mosasaur pictured here, may have still been visible.

Life recovered rapidly at impact site of dino-killing asteroid

MagLab geochemist Jeremy Owens analyzed ancient fossils for the multi-institutional study published today in Nature.

24 May 2018

MagLab physicist Steve Hill gives a tour to participants of the 11th Meeting of the Group of Senior Officials for Global Infrastructures.

International science leaders meet at the MagLab

The visit marked the first time the Group of Senior Officials for Global Infrastructures has met in the United States.

16 May 2018

By compressing layers of boron nitride and graphene, researchers were able to enhance the material's band gap, bringing it one step closer to being a viable semiconductor for use in today’s electronic devices.

Researchers control properties of graphene transistors using pressure

This research is a promising first step toward finding a way to use graphene as a transistor, an achievement that would have widespread applications.

30 April 2018

The protons of liquid water (HDO) are hyperpolarized by spin transfer from co-adsorbed parahydrogen on the surface of platinum-tin nanoparticles. Parahydrogen (antiparallel arrows) is converted to orthohydrogen (parallel arrows) in this process.

Scientists discover cheap fluid that could lead to cheap MRIs

Finding could make pricey, massive scanners a thing of the past.

23 April 2018

Members of the MagLab team behind the Nijmegen magnet include (left to right); Joe Lucia, Justin Deterding, Todd Adkins, Robert Stanton, Erick Arroyo, Don Richardson, Lee Marks and project manager Iain Dixon.

MagLab completes world-class magnet for European partners

When fully installed, the new instrument will be one of the two most powerful magnets on the planet.

2 April 2018

Scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara conduct research on a 35-tesla magnet in the lab's DC Field Facility.

National MagLab to receive $184M NSF renewal grant

The National Science Foundation announces five-year funding grant for continued operation of the world’s most powerful magnet lab.

7 March 2018

"Subatomic Smackdown" rallies physics fans to pick a particle

Scientists and science communicators team up in playful bout that engages physics fans worldwide.

23 January 2018

Carlos R. Villa helps students explore static electricity using a Van de Graaff generator during a visit to a local school.

MagLab "champion for teaching" to receive national award

Veteran educator recognized for inspiring kids about science outside the classroom.

9 January 2018

Photoluminescence response of MoS2–WS2 lateral heterostructures.

Researchers develop new technique to build monolayer electronic devices

A unique way to bond together single-layer semiconductors opens a door to new nanotechnologies.