Simulations at Sandia National Laboratories reveal that using magnetism to heat and insulate fusion fuel could recreate solar conditions in the lab.
Articles written by Jacob Berkowitz
About the Author
Jacob Berkowitz is a science writer and author. His latest book, "The Stardust Revolution: The New Story of Our Origin in the Stars," was published in 2012 (Prometheus).
January 2013
Putting Big Squeeze Fusion to the Test
A new Sandia National Laboratories-based approach to fusion that’s shown promise in computational simulations has passed its first bricks-and-mortar experimental test. MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion) envisions using Sandia’s Z machine as a massive magnetic vise to implode, and thus heat, a tiny cylinder full of deuterium to Sun-like temperatures, igniting a fusion reaction. “I [...]
June 2012
Enlightening predictions
Computer simulations of hurricane lightning could be the key to predicting and avoiding the storms’ real-world punch.
December 2011
Seeing beyond 3-D
High-dimensional visualization techniques at Stony Brook and Brookhaven are helping reveal the interactions that drive climate and other complexities.
Mining for aerosols and other particles
Klaus Mueller’s latest n-dimensional visualization work capitalizes on a decade-long collaboration with Department of Energy atmospheric chemist Alla Zelenyuk, work aimed at seeing the proverbial forest amidst trees of data. At DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Zelenyuk specializes in using single-particle mass spectrometry to analyze the real-time transformations of nanoparticles. This includes atmospheric particles, such [...]
