ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A good machine-learning algorithm is a powerful research accelerator. Pair it with a computer simulation and it can sniff out mathematical shortcuts through the program, propelling scientists to faster insights about the effects of drugs on cells or the potential of rocket engines to send humankind to Mars and beyond. New research […]
Author Archives: Troy Rummler
Quantum computers’ unexpected advantage
July 1, 2024 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — As the hare learned from the tortoise, speed isn’t everything. Theoretical computer scientists at Sandia National Laboratories and Boston University have discovered that quantum computers are unrivaled at solving an advanced math problem. Unusually, they proved quantum computers are not faster than regular computers; instead, they use far less memory. The revelation […]
Radar is advancing at historic speed. How engineers are setting the pace.
May 7, 2024 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In a whirling geopolitical landscape of new nuclear weapons, hypersonic weapons, drones and satellites, the U.S. is hustling to test new kinds of radars aimed at detecting evolving threats. Many of these tests take place in a simulated research environment created at Sandia National Laboratories. Dubbed RAMSES by its developers, the advanced […]
Out of the desert, a quantum powerhouse rises
February 27, 2024 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — They knew it was an ambitious goal. But by the time they announced it in 2022, Sandia National Laboratories and The University of New Mexico — two of the state’s largest research institutions — had been working out their strategy for more than a year. Their goal: transform the state into a […]
Increasing national security with satellites that team together
September 14, 2023 – 9:04 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Imagine a satellite observing ships on the ocean. As it takes pictures of each ship, an algorithm decides what kind of vessel it is. But one sneaky sailor paints a pattern on the deck that confuses the satellite, so it can’t decide what it’s looking at. How can the satellite work around […]
The race to build the world’s smallest atomic clock, again
August 29, 2023 – 7:32 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Yuan-Yu Jau is on a quest to build the world’s smallest atomic clock, a device that measures time with extreme accuracy. If successful, he and his team at Sandia National Laboratories will have made one smaller than a sugar cube. But he’s not the only one pushing the limits of tiny timepieces. […]
Bigger and better quantum computers possible with new ion trap, dubbed the Enchilada
August 17, 2023 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories has produced its first lot of a new world-class ion trap, a central component for certain quantum computers. The new device, dubbed the Enchilada Trap, enables scientists to build more powerful machines to advance the experimental but potentially revolutionary field of quantum computing. In addition to traps operated at […]
What do you do with a shrunken laser?
August 1, 2023 – 9:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The laser is so small you need a microscope to see it properly. But it’s not just the size that scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are excited about. The buzz is that the laser can now be combined with other microscale optical devices to make self-driving cars safer, data centers more efficient, biochemical […]
Stunning discovery: Metals can heal themselves
July 19, 2023 – 9:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Scientists for the first time have witnessed pieces of metal crack, then fuse back together without any human intervention, overturning fundamental scientific theories in the process. If the newly discovered phenomenon can be harnessed, it could usher in an engineering revolution — one in which self-healing engines, bridges and airplanes could reverse […]
An unlikely plan is helping the U.S. fast-track hypersonic conventional weapons
May 1, 2023 – 5:00 am
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 […]
World’s fastest burst-mode X-ray camera hits the road
March 13, 2023 – 5:00 am
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
March 1, 2023 – 5:00 am
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. […]