Oak Ridge Today

New Titan supercomputer debuts at ORNL

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The Oak Ridge National Laboratory launched a new era of scientific supercomputing today with Titan, a system capable of churning through more than 20,000 trillion calculations each second—or 20 petaflops—by employing a family of processors called graphic processing units first created for computer gaming. Titan will be 10 times more powerful than ORNL’s last world-leading system, Jaguar, while overcoming power and space limitations inherent in the previous generation of high-performance computers.

Titan, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, will provide unprecedented computing power for research in energy, climate change, efficient engines, materials, and other disciplines, and pave the way for a wide range of achievements in science and technology.

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ORNL study confirms magnetic properties of silicon nano-ribbons

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Nano-ribbons of silicon configured so the atoms resemble chicken wire could hold the key to ultrahigh density data storage and information processing systems of the future.

This was a key finding of a team of scientists led by Paul Snijders of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The researchers used scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to validate first principle calculations—or models—that for years had predicted this outcome. The discovery, detailed in New Journal of Physics, validates this theory and could move scientists closer to their long-term goal of cost-effectively creating magnetism in non-magnetic materials.

“While scientists have spent a lot of time studying silicon because it is the workhorse for current information technologies, for the first time we were able to clearly establish that the edges of nano-ribbons feature magnetic silicon atoms,” said Snijders, a member of the Materials Science and Technology Division.

The surprise is that while bulk silicon is non-magnetic, the edges of nano-ribbons of this material are magnetic.

Snijders and colleagues at ORNL, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Wisconsin and Naval Research Laboratory showed that the electron spins are ordered anti-ferromagnetically, which means they point up and down alternatingly. Configured this way, the up and down spin-polarized atoms serve as effective substitutes for conventional zeros and ones common to electron, or charge, current.

“By exploiting the electron spins arising from intrinsic broken bonds at gold-stabilized silicon surfaces, we were able to replace conventional electronically charged zeros and ones with spins pointing up and down,” Snijders said.

This discovery provides a new avenue to study low-dimensional magnetism, the researchers noted. Most importantly, such stepped silicon-gold surfaces provide an atomically precise template for single-spin devices at the ultimate limit of high-density data storage and processing.

“In the quest for smaller and less expensive magnets, electro-motors, electronics and storage devices, creating magnetism in otherwise non-magnetic materials could have far-reaching implications,” Snijders said.

The paper is available online at http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/14/10/103004. This research was funded by DOE’s Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research.

This work was supported by the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at ORNL. CNMS is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers supported by the DOE Office of Science, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale.

Together, the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE’s Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, and Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, visit http://science.energy.gov/bes/suf/user-facilities/nanoscale-science-research-centers/.

ORNL’s United Way campaign tops $900,000

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ORNL United Way Donation

Oak Ridge National Laboratory raised more than $914,000 during its 2012 United Way campaign, chaired by Becky Verastegui, left, and Hurtis Hodges, center. Also pictured is ORNL Director Thom Mason. (ORNL photo by Jason Richards)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory raised more than $914,000 in its 2012 United Way campaign, which supports charitable agencies throughout the area.

ORNL United Way Campaign Chairman Hurtis Hodges said employees and retirees contributed more than $800,000 and UT-Battelle, the laboratory’s managing contractor, contributed a corporate gift of $100,000.

“The generosity of ORNL’s employees continues to make the laboratory one of the largest United Way contributors in East Tennessee,” ORNL Director Thom Mason said.

More than $25,000 was raised through special events that included a putting challenge, dunking booth, jewelry and book fairs, a cash mob, and a silent auction.

This year’s campaign focus shifted from concentrating on the total amount donated to increasing employee participation through payroll deduction, Hodges said. The strategy was in response to the loss of United Way givers in last year’s Voluntary Separation Program. The strategy worked, as ORNL saw a net gain of more than 300 new staff contributors and 41 new leadership givers, bringing the total number of staff signed up as United Way contributors to 2,004.

“Despite the economic challenges, ORNL still showed an increase in leadership givers and staff contributors,” Hodges said. “The increase in staff contributors emphasizes the importance laboratory employees place on the health of our community.”

Alexander: UPF, ORNL remain priorities even in tough economic times

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Senator Lamar Alexander at Hoskins Drug Store

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, center, a Tennessee Republican, visited Hoskins Drug Store in Clinton on Tuesday to show support for state Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican seeking re-election.

CLINTON—Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Uranium Processing Facility remain funding priorities even in tough economic times, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander said Tuesday.

A Tennessee Republican, Alexander said all federal government funding is under pressure and should be until the nation’s debt is under control. But the UPF at the Y-12 National Security Complex is the top priority of the U.S. Department of Energy, the senator said. And ORNL performs crucial missions, the senator said.

“In difficult times, they’ll still continue to receive a good funding stream,” he said.

Alexander said he would also like to see cleanup work continue in Oak Ridge, including mercury cleanup projects.

Alexander said the UPF project, which could cost up to $6.5 billion, is a costly 50-75 year decision that could affect the health and safety of hundreds of workers, and it should proceed as rapidly as possible, although a good design is needed.

Republicans Support Ragan

Top local, state, and federal Republicans and other residents turned out at Hoskins Drug Store on Tuesday to show support for Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, fourth from left, who is seeking re-election in the Nov. 6 election.

Asked about the July 28 security breach at Y-12, Alexander said it shouldn’t have happened, but he’s not ready to turn over security to another government department, as U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican, has proposed.

Alexander said “some heads have rolled,” and investigations have been launched that will help determine the right next steps.

He said roughly $3 billion in federal money is spent in Oak Ridge each year for all DOE facilities. But there have been budget uncertainties caused by Congress’ inability to make decisions, Alexander said.

Alexander was at Hoskins Drug Store in Clinton on Tuesday with other top local, state, and federal Republicans to show support for Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican who is running against former Rep. Jim Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat, in one of the half-dozen key races in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

State officials Ramsey, Yager visit ORNL

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Visit

Tennesseee Sen. Ken Yager, left, and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, center, receive an overview of the Spallation Neutron Source from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Neutron Sciences Director Kelly Beierschmitt at the SNS Thursday. (Photo by Jason Richards)

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, who is also the Republican Senate Speaker, and Sen. Ken Yager, a Harriman Republican, visited Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Thursday afternoon.

Their agenda included discussions of ORNL’s partnerships with the state of Tennessee and tours of the Leadership Computing Facility and Spallation Neutron Source, the lab said in a brief statement Friday.

Radiation Safety Information Computational Center at ORNL marks 50th year

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RSICC Directors

Radiation Safety Information Computational Center directors at Tuesday’s celebration were Robert Roussin (1987-96), Bernadette Kirk (1996-2000 and 2004-11), and Tim Valentine (current). (Photo by Curtis Boles)

One of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s longest-running institutions marked its golden anniversary on Tuesday with a recognition ceremony keynoted by U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Peter Lyons, a press release said.

The Radiation Safety Information Computational Center has been a storehouse of invaluable nuclear computational tools and data for modeling and simulating the interaction of radiation with matter since 1962, the release said. The center acquires the state-of-the art codes and data, preserves them, and makes them accessible to the research community.

“Congratulations to the RSICC in its 50th year,” Lyons said. “RSICC’s innovative and adaptive culture has enabled the center to continuously provide a unique service to its nearly 20,000 customers around the world.”

The DOE center has expanded its software and data packages beyond radiation shielding to areas that include criticality safety, radiation protection, reactor physics, atmospheric dispersion and environmental dose, radiation dose in medical applications and space shielding applications, the release said.

The idea for the RSICC, like many that emanated from ORNL during the Cold War, can be traced to the late Alvin Weinberg, who as ORNL director chaired a president’s advisory council convened to deal with the expanse of new data emerging from the nuclear science community. The council recommended the establishment of information analysis centers.

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ORNL director gives lab update during Tuesday lecture

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Thom Mason

Thom Mason

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason will give an update on the lab during a Tuesday lecture at the American Museum of Science and Energy.

It’s the 15th Annual Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series, and the talk is sponsored by Friends of ORNL.

There will be a 6 p.m. reception on Tuesday, and the lecture starts at 6:30 p.m.

“This talk should be of interest to the general public, and high school science students and teachers are especially invited,” a press release said.

AMSE is located at 300 S. Tulane Ave. in Oak Ridge.

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ORNL locked down Sunday as officials investigate security concern

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory was locked down for more than four hours on Sunday as officials investigated a security-related concern that turned out to be unsubstantiated, a spokesman said.

Officials took the proper precautions and stopped people from entering or leaving the lab during the lockdown, which lasted from about 8:40 a.m. to about 1:15 p.m. Sunday, ORNL Communications Director David Keim said.

“When we investigated, we found that the concern was unsubstantiated,” Keim said.

He said the security concern was reported by a U.S. Department of Energy contractor employee at ORNL. Keim said he couldn’t give more information on the nature of the report since the concern wasn’t substantiated.

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ORNL wins two DOE sustainability awards

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory has received a 2012 U.S. Department of Energy Sustainability Award for its water conservation efforts, a press release said.

The nomination, “ORNL Water Resource Management Minimizes Quantity and Maximizes Quality,” described the lab’s integrated approach to water resource management “from minimizing use and maximizing reuse to maximizing quality,” the release said.

ORNL’s water conservation program reduced water use and waste water generation by more than 288 million gallons per year in Fiscal Year 2011, saving more than $388,000, the release said.

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Binder leads ORNL’s Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate

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Jeffrey Binder has been appointed associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a press release said.

It said Binder has led the Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate on an interim basis since November 2011.

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UT-Battelle donates $60,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank

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ORNL and Second Harvest

Second Harvest Food Bank Executive Director Elaine Streno accepts the first $20,000 installment of a $60,000 UT-Battelle donation from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason. (Photo submitted by ORNL)

UT-Battelle gave Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee $20,000 on Wednesday.

It’s the first part of a three-year, $60,000 donation to help the local nonprofit organization feed hungry East Tennessee residents, a press release said.

UT-Battelle, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, donated the money at its annual United Way Leadership Giver’s Breakfast, the release said.

Former astronaut on mission to promote math and science

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Astronaut Bernard Harris at ORNL

Astronaut Bernard A. Harris Jr., right, talks to Scott Wood, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory computer analyst and Roane State Community College observatory volunteer, after a Friday morning talk at ORNL.

He had prepared for this space mission for years, starting as a boy fascinated by the Apollo program and continuing through rigorous astronaut training.

Still, as Bernard A. Harris Jr. stepped out of the space shuttle Discovery in 1995—the first African-American to walk in space—he hesitated, afraid he might get sucked out of the craft’s air lock and fall 250 miles to Earth.

Holy cow, Harris thought as the Earth flew by far below at 17,500 miles per hour.

“I am really doing this,” Harris recalled thinking. “It was just incredible.”

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