Cutting-edge science images from Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Beautiful science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

All of the images and captions in this gallery are from the collection of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Scientists at ORNL’s facilities perform cutting edge reseach in the fields of astrophysics, neutron science, nanotechnology, supercomputing, energy and other fields, collaborating with universities and researchers worldwide. It is the home of the world’s fastest supercomputer, the Cray XT “Jaguar.”

Image: ITER 3D plasma equilibrium with ripple contours

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Entrance and Visitor Center - ORNL

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s main entrance is marked by a limestone sign. Several new buildings visible in the background house more than 1,000 of the lab’s 4,300 employees.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Alzheimer's at the microscopic scale

This is a visualization of drug molecules (“parade day-like balloons”) in a simulated attack of the ribbon-like protein fibrils that are believed to be the cause of Alzheimers disease.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Simulation of spin excitations in a superconductor

A simulation of the nature of the spin excitations in a superconducting material’s structure. See “Magnetic properties may hold the key to superconductivity” for details.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Stellar crossbow

The fluid speed beneath a core collapse supernova shock wave (traced by the arc at the right of the image) and fluid streamlines are visualized in this image. The turbulent flow in an exploding massive star and the explosion’s non-spherical nature are evident. The image is based on simulation data from the GenASiS code.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Ultracapacitors

Molecular dynamics simulation of confinement and dispersion of small molecules within carbon nanostructures, mimicking the dynamics of electrolytes in porous carbon materials. The visualization was generated by the SciDAC code VisIt. Simulation: Dr. Vincent Meunier, ORNL. Visualization: Jeremy Meredith and Sean Ahern, ORNL.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Abrupt Climate Change

Assessing Transient Global Climate Response using the NCAR-CCSM3: Climate Sensitivity and Abrupt Climate Change. Simulations show deglaciation during Earth’s most recent period of natural global warming.

Image credit: Jamison Daniel/National Center for Computational Sciences.?Paper citation: Z. Liu, B. Otto-Bliesner, F. He, E. Brady, R. Tomas, P. U. Clark, A. Carlson, J. Lynch-Stieglitz, W. Curry, E. Brook, D. Erickson, R. Jacob, J. Kutzbach, J. Cheng (2009). Transient Simulation of Deglaciation with a New Mechanism for?Bolling-Allerod Warming. Science, 17 July issue.

?Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Ions and DNA flowing through a carbon nanotube

This visualization depicts the flow of ions and DNA through a single-walled carbon nanotube. Instruments based on the concept could one day be a common fixture in doctors’ offices. Photo courtesy of Hao Liu, Arizona State University.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility

For decades, the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility tower at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has served as a landmark. Holifield produces high-quality beams of short-lived radioactive nuclei for studies of exotic nuclei and astrophysics research.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Holifield's tandem electrostatic accelerator

The base of ORNL’s Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility’s tandem electrostatic accelerator. The accelerator is located inside a 100-foot-high pressure vessel. HRIBF’s ability to create and analyze isotopes that exist for mere seconds gives researchers a unique glimpse into the inner workings of atomic nuclei, as well as how they interact with each other and with high-energy particles. Understanding these processes provides astrophysicists with insights they need to unravel the mystery of how the these processes could have created of all of the heavy elements in the universe–both in the hearts of stars and through hyperviolent stellar events, such as supernovae.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Holifield charging chains and high-energy acceleration tubes

The charging chains and high-energy acceleration tubes of the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. Charging chains are used to produce the 25 million volt potential at the terminal of the Holifield accelerator.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Oak Ridge - Rutgers University Barrel Array

The Oak Ridge Rutgers University Barrel Array helps researchers like Kelly Chipps examine the products of nuclear reactions that are of interest in the study of astrophysics. The array has recently been used in several high-profile experiments with radioactive beams at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Berkelium-249

Berkelium-249, contained in the greenish fluid in the tip of the vial, was crucial to the experiment that discovered element 117. It was made in the research reactor at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Catalytic converter

ORNL’s Fuels Engines and Emissions Research Center develops advanced catalyst technologies to control vehicle emissions of unburned fuel, nitrogen oxides and particulates, like soot.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Thin-layer chromatography

ORNL researchers use high-resolution, thin-layer chromatography plates to separate complicated mixtures (in this case, Ginkgo biloba leaf extracts). The separated components appear as bands under fluorescent lighting. Once separated, the components of the mixture can be analyzed using mass spectrometry. These techniques could be applied to several fields of study, including creating and using nanoscale materials to control molecular level processes in fields such as catalysis, energy conversion and materials research.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Nion UltraSTEM Electron Microscope

The basic principle of electron microscopy is simple: an electron beam penetrates a sample and the whole optical system is used to produce an image of the material. Thanks to the success of aberration correction, goals that were unthinkable of a few years ago are now a reality, such as the identification of single atoms in materials along with the study of their properties or 3D reconstructions of nanostructured systems and even isolated atoms. The Nion UltraSTEM is ideally suited for studying materials with atomic resolution in real space. It can produce images of crystal lattices with interatomic spacings below 0.1 nm, both in direct imaging and spectroscopy, allowing the simultaneous study of crystal structure, chemistry and even electronic and optical properties.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

High Flux Isotope Reactor control room

The control room at the High Flux Isotope Reactor. Primarily a research reactor, the HFIR also is used for the production of medical isotopes.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Flux trap of the HFIR

The flux trap of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) is located at the center of the reactor’s fuel element. This is the area of the reactor in which target materials are irradiated to produce specialized isotopes, such as californium-252 and other transuranium isotopes for research, industrial and medical applications. Photo by Jason Richards.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Lightweight Analyzer for Buried Remains and Decomposition Odor Recognition

Police searching for victims in clandestine graves could soon have a new tool that will make their task considerably easier. LABRADOR, which stands for Lightweight Analyzer for Buried Remains and Decomposition Odor Recognition, detects volatile organic chemical compounds relevant to human decomposition. Photo by Jason Richards.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Standoff Laser Spectroscopy System

The system works by shining an infrared laser on a distant object. The reflected light from the object’s surface is captured by a telescope, focused onto a detector and analyzed to determine the chemical composition of the surface of the object. As an anti-terrorism tool, the device may be used to detect and identify surface residues of dangerous materials, such as chemical agents, biological agents or explosives, from distances up to 100 meters. The system has a wide array of uses from scanning ?passengers and luggage in airport terminals to searching for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along roadways to scanning vehicles on the road or at border crossings and checkpoints. Photo by Jason Richards.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Atomic-Scale Growth by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Pulsed Laser Deposition is used to grow oxide-based energy materials by stacking single atomic layers to design epitaxial thin films and superlattice crystals suitable for discovering new functionalities. This allows the formation of atomically-sharp interfacial structures that convert, manipulate, or store energy.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Radiochemical Engineering Development Center hot cell?

Hot cell at ORNL’s Radiochemical Engineering Development Center

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

VULCAN diffractometer

The optical fibers of a VULCAN detector module. The fibers transmit the light signals created by captured neutrons to photo multiplier tubes where the signals are amplified and then sent to a data acquisition system.

One of the newest and most popular instruments at the SNS is the VULCAN diffractometer. The reasons behind VULCAN’s popularity are similar to those that make the SNS so attractive: it is new, and it has unusual capabilities. VULCAN was built to take measurements on engineering materials (like a turbine blade from a jet engine or the frame of a car) under stress. VULCAN is capable of u201cseeingu201d inside the material and making three dimensional maps of the distance between atoms in critical sections. Scientists can look at these maps and determine if the atoms are being squeezed together or pulled apart—signs of stress and strain in the materials.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Oak Ridge National Laboratory main campus

New facilities dominate the center of this aerial photo of Oak Ridge National Laboratory as it appears flying over from the northeast.

Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

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Beautiful science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Beautiful science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Entrance and Visitor Center - ORNL

Entrance and Visitor Center - ORNL

Alzheimer's at the microscopic scale

Alzheimer's at the microscopic scale

Simulation of spin excitations in a superconductor

Simulation of spin excitations in a superconductor

Stellar crossbow

Stellar crossbow

Ultracapacitors

Ultracapacitors

Abrupt Climate Change

Abrupt Climate Change

Ions and DNA flowing through a carbon nanotube

Ions and DNA flowing through a carbon nanotube

Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility

Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility

Holifield's tandem electrostatic accelerator

Holifield's tandem electrostatic accelerator

Holifield charging chains and high-energy acceleration tubes

Holifield charging chains and high-energy acceleration tubes

Oak Ridge - Rutgers University Barrel Array

Oak Ridge - Rutgers University Barrel Array

Berkelium-249

Berkelium-249

Catalytic converter

Catalytic converter

Thin-layer chromatography

Thin-layer chromatography

Nion UltraSTEM Electron Microscope

Nion UltraSTEM Electron Microscope

High Flux Isotope Reactor control room

High Flux Isotope Reactor control room

Flux trap of the HFIR

Flux trap of the HFIR

Lightweight Analyzer for Buried Remains and Decomposition Odor Recognition

Lightweight Analyzer for Buried Remains and Decomposition Odor Recognition

Standoff Laser Spectroscopy System

Standoff Laser Spectroscopy System

Atomic-Scale Growth by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Atomic-Scale Growth by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Radiochemical Engineering Development Center hot cell?

Radiochemical Engineering Development Center hot cell?

VULCAN diffractometer

VULCAN diffractometer

Oak Ridge National Laboratory main campus

Oak Ridge National Laboratory main campus

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