ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Hypersonic weapons have been a top priority for modernizing the armed forces, with ultrafast, long-range and maneuverable munitions being touted as a revolutionary advance in modern warfare. The U.S. has fast-tracked their development and announced plans to field the first conventional hypersonic missile battery this year. To meet this deadline, some contributing […]
Author Archives: Troy Rummler
An unlikely plan is helping the U.S. fast-track hypersonic conventional weapons
World’s fastest burst-mode X-ray camera hits the road
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Nuclear reactions are fast. Really fast. Faster than billionths of a second. Your best shot at catching one is with a high-speed X-ray camera that can only be obtained from the Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories. But these cameras could soon become more widely available. Sandia has partnered with Albuquerque-based startup Advanced […]
Biden taps Sandia Labs’ senior leader for quantum advisory committee
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Deborah Frincke, associate laboratories director of national security programs at Sandia National Laboratories, has been appointed to the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee. As a member of this presidential advisory committee, Frincke will help provide an independent assessment of the National Quantum Initiative Program, which was established in 2019 to maintain U.S. […]
Hackers could try to take over a military aircraft; can a cyber shuffle stop them?
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A cybersecurity technique that shuffles network addresses like a blackjack dealer shuffles playing cards could effectively befuddle hackers gambling for control of a military jet, commercial airliner or spacecraft, according to new research. However, the research also shows these defenses must be designed to counter increasingly sophisticated algorithms used to break them. […]
New superalloy could cut carbon emissions from power plants
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — As the world looks for ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, researchers from Sandia National Laboratories have shown that a new 3D-printed superalloy could help power plants generate more electricity while producing less carbon. Sandia scientists, collaborating with researchers at Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University and Bruker Corp., used a 3D […]
Securing supply chains with quantum computing
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Russo-Ukrainian conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic have shown how vulnerable global supply chains can be. International events can disrupt manufacturing, delay shipping, induce panic buying and send energy costs soaring. New research in quantum computing at Sandia National Laboratories is moving science closer to being able to overcome supply-chain challenges and […]
Economic impact: Sandia Labs tops $4.2B in spending for first time, added 480 jobs in FY22
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For the first time, Sandia National Laboratories’ contributions to the economy have topped $4.2 billion in a fiscal year, supporting individuals, families and businesses at an unprecedented level. Total spending in fiscal year 2022, which ended Sept. 30, was $312 million more than the previous fiscal year. The spending includes labor, subcontracts, […]
Ink flows to meet surging demand for national security research
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The nation’s largest national laboratory is embarking on a major expansion of its network of academic partners to meet the surging demand for national security science and engineering. This year, Sandia National Laboratories inked memoranda of understanding with Texas A&M University; the University of California, Berkeley; North Carolina State University and the […]
Scientists chip away at a metallic mystery, one atom at a time
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Gray and white flecks skitter erratically on a computer screen. A towering microscope looms over a landscape of electronic and optical equipment. Inside the microscope, high-energy, accelerated ions bombard a flake of platinum thinner than a hair on a mosquito’s back. Meanwhile, a team of scientists studies the seemingly chaotic display, searching […]
Sandia Science & Tech Park continues to strengthen economy
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A new, independent report concluded that the Sandia Science & Technology Park continues to be a major contributor to Albuquerque’s regional economy. Since it was established in 1998, companies and organizations in the research park have paid nearly $7.2 billion in wages and generated more than $4 billion in taxable personal consumption, […]
Can an algorithm teach scientists to write better quantum computer programs?
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — While quantum computers could someday revolutionize technology, a single slip of an atom can cause a malfunction. Scientists around the world are figuring out what causes these errors, and it turns out sometimes they stem from the way code in a program is arranged. Timothy Proctor, a quantum physicist at Sandia, is […]
Radar gets a major makeover
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If radars wore pants, a lot of them would still be sporting bell-bottoms. Significant aspects of radar haven’t fundamentally changed since the 1970s, said Kurt Sorensen, a senior manager who oversees the development of high-performance radio frequency imaging technologies at Sandia National Laboratories. Like a record player, most military-grade systems are still […]