Naval Research Laboratory (DOD)
Scientists produce densest artificial ionospheric plasma clouds yet
February 25, 2013 11:56 am | News | Comments
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory research physicists and engineers from the Plasma Physics Division, working at the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) transmitter facility in Alaska have successfully produced a sustained high density plasma cloud in Earth's upper atmosphere. Previous attempts generated clouds with lifetimes of 10 minutes or less; this one lasted for more than one hour.
Small electric UAV shatters endurance record
May 10, 2013 12:53 pm | News | Comments
Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) recently flew their fuel cell...
Computational physics software supported presidential inauguration
April 19, 2013 12:41 pm | News | Comments
The Naval Research Laboratory aided both the 2009...
Chemical vapor sensors built with new monolayer materials
April 1, 2013 1:33 pm | News | Comments
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have fabricated a vapor sensor using...
Navy develops high-impact, high-integrity polymer
April 17, 2013 2:04 pm | News | CommentsU.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists have developed a second-generation, cost-effective polyetheretherketone (PEEK)-like phthalonitrile-resin demonstrating superior high-temperature and flammability properties for use in marine, aerospace, and domestic applications. The resin can be used to make composite components by established industrial methods and automated composite manufacturing techniques.
Recruiting engineered cells to work for warfighters
April 10, 2013 12:22 pm | News | CommentsThe Office of Naval Research (ONR) this week launched a collaborative initiative with university researchers focused on synthetic, or engineered, cells—part of a larger effort to use the smallest units of life to help Sailors and Marines execute their missions. ONR currently has multiple ongoing projects in the field of synthetic biology.
Focal zooming breakthrough to benefit nuclear fusion
March 21, 2013 8:36 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have successfully demonstrated pulse tailoring, producing a time varying focal spot size known as “focal zooming” on the Nike laser, the world's largest operating krypton fluoride gas laser. The use of focal zooming in inertial fusion energy system is expected to reduce the required laser size, boosting efficiency and lowering costs
NRL designs multijunction solar cell to break efficiency barrier
January 14, 2013 10:42 am | News | CommentsU.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists, in collaboration with the Imperial College London and MicroLink Devices Inc., have proposed a novel triple-junction solar cell with the potential to break the 50% conversion efficiency barrier, which is the current goal in multijunction photovoltaic development.
NIST patent could give lab-on-a-chip technology long shelf life
January 9, 2013 11:17 am | News | CommentsHaving blood drawn and analyzed to diagnose disease is a process that can take a few days, but what if your doctor could perform this analysis in moments, right before your eyes? That's the promise of "lab-on-a-chip" technology, and researchers are working on a variety of fronts to remove technical roadblocks. A new idea addresses the issue of sensor shelf life, showing how some such chips might be made to last for months or more until needed.
Demonstrated: Nanotube transistors can survive space
September 18, 2012 6:02 am | News | CommentsAs part of their investigation of the effects ionizing radiation has on crystalline structures found in single-walled carbon nanotube transistors, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory engineers have recently shown these devices can stand up harsh space environments. This durability has been achieved through a combination of a hardened dielectric material and the natural isolation of the transistor.
Gravity offset table brings inertia of space to robotics research
July 18, 2012 8:32 am | News | CommentsTo emulate the classical mechanics of physics found in space on full-scale replica spacecraft on Earth requires not only a hefty amount of air to 'float' the object, but a precision, frictionless, large surface area that will allow researchers to replicate the effects of inertia on man-made objects in space. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory recently got that capability with a one-of-a-kind 75,000 gravity offset table made from a single slab of concrete.
Naval sensor and software suite hunts down hundreds of boats
July 11, 2012 4:23 am | News | CommentsA vessel hunting system called “Rough Rhino,” sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and deployed aboard U.S. aircraft, ships and partner nation ships operating in waters off the coast of Senegal and Cape Verde, has helped track more than 600 targets since it’s been in operation. The effort has culminated in 24 boardings.
Scientists track individual raindrops inside clouds
June 22, 2012 5:09 am | News | CommentsNaval Research Laboratory scientists are leading a multiagency study which reveals that a very high-resolution Doppler radar has the unique capacity to detect individual cloud hydrometeors in the free atmosphere. This study will improve scientists' understanding of the dynamics and structure of cloud systems.
Photovoltaic cells tap underwater solar energy
June 7, 2012 5:56 am | News | CommentsScientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Electronics Science and Technology Division, dive into underwater photovoltaic research to develop high bandgap solar cells capable of producing sufficient power to operate electronic sensor systems at depths of 9 m.
NRL RAIDS experiment advances ionospheric remote sensing
May 18, 2012 5:15 am | News | CommentsNaval Research Laboratory scientists have obtained a first-ever measured altitude profile of a dim extreme-ultraviolet terrestrial airglow emission that provides vital information needed to test and improve the accuracy of advanced techniques for remote sensing of the daytime ionosphere. They have obtained this altitude profile using scans from the Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS) experiment.
NASA spacecraft spot something new on the sun
April 10, 2012 4:38 am | News | CommentsA researcher working with images from NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory recently saw something he’d never seen before: a pattern of cells in the sun’s corona. Using a combination of conventional and magnetic imaging from several satellites and spacecraft, astronomer were able to build a 3D picture of what was happening on the sun’s surface.
NRL tests robotic fueling of unmanned surface vessels
March 20, 2012 6:14 am | News | CommentsNaval Research Laboratory engineers successfully demonstrated the robotic fluids transfer from a stationary platform to an unmanned surface vehicle in wave heights greater than 3 ft. The Rapid Autonomous Fuel Transfer project exhibits the ability to track the motion of a Sea Fox naval vessel, safely emplace a magnetic refueling fitting to an on-board refueling receptacle, and successfully complete fluids transfer.
Scientists chart high-precision map of Milky Way's magnetic fields
February 6, 2012 2:28 am | News | CommentsScientists at the Naval Research Laboratory are part of an international team that has pooled their radio observations into a database, producing the highest precision map to date of the magnetic field within our own Milky Way galaxy.
Researchers investigate small-scale autonomous planetary explorers
January 3, 2012 9:06 am | News | CommentsRobotic exploration to remote regions, to include distant planetary bodies, is often limited by energy requirements to perform, in repetition, even the simplest tasks. With this in mind, researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are looking into a novel approach that could some day aid scientific space and planetary research without the need for power-intense options.
Nanoplatelets could lead to faster fluorescence emitters
December 9, 2011 6:24 am | News | CommentsScientists at the Naval Research Laboratory scientists have recently discovered very fast fluorescence emission rates in colloidal nanoplatelets, a new class of optical materials that are essentially atomically flat. If they can be used in future emitters, they would feature wide tunability and short decay time.
Autonomous Deployment Demonstration program completes flight testing
December 5, 2011 8:45 am | News | CommentsThe Naval Research Laboratory Vehicle Research Section has successfully completed flight tests for the Autonomous Deployment Demonstration program. The final demonstration took place Sept. 1 at the Yuma Proving Grounds, Yuma, Ariz., and consisted of a series of eight balloon-drops at altitudes of up to 57,000 ft, delivering sensor-emplacement Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft vehicles within 15 ft of their intended landing locations.
NRL's MIGHTI selected by NASA for potential space flight
November 10, 2011 8:36 am | News | CommentsA Naval Research Laboratory instrument designed to study the Earth's thermosphere is part of a future science mission that has been selected by NASA for evaluation for flight.
Electromagnetic railgun fires its 1000th test shot
November 1, 2011 7:34 am | by Grace Jean, Office of Naval Research | News | CommentsLast year, the Naval Research Laboratory’s electromagnetic railgun program achieved a milestone with a world record 33-megajoule firing. This year, the long-range weapon logged its 1,000 firing as physicists and materials scientists experiment with new materials and muzzle designs.
NRL robotic loader system achieves composite material testing milestone
September 6, 2011 7:31 am | News | CommentsThe Naval Research Laboratory robotic materials testing system, NRL66.3, has achieved, to date, the highest industrial rates of fully automated production mode functionality known to NRL researchers, yielding a total of 216 specimen tests at a rate of 26 per hour under six-degrees of freedom multiaxiality conditions.
ONR showcases technology investments
June 17, 2011 12:25 pm | News | CommentsThe Naval Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) show held recently in Alexandria, Va., was the stage for the Office of Naval Research’s announcement of nine partnerships with organizations that focus on kindling student interest in STEM disciplines. They include such endeavors as Sally Ride Science and the Gulf Coast initiative.
Taking a step toward valleytronics
April 29, 2011 5:23 am | News | CommentsValley-based electronics, also known as valleytronics, is one step closer to reality. Two researchers at the Naval Research Laboratory have shown that the valley degree of freedom in graphene can be polarized through scattering off a line defect. Unlike previously proposed valley filters in graphene, which rely on confined structures that have proven hard to achieve experimentally, the present work is based on a naturally occurring line defect that has already been observed.
NRL scientists focus on light ions for fast ignition of fusion fuels
April 26, 2011 5:37 am | News | CommentsScientists at the Naval Research Laboratory Plasma Physics Division demonstrated significant progress in the efficiency and cost effectiveness of light ions in the fast ignition of fusion targets. Light ions—such as lithium or carbon—are easier to produce technologically and the ion beam properties can be manipulated and tailored best to suit the necessary requirements for fast ignition.
Courant Institute receives ONR grant to develop crow-sized autonomous plane
April 22, 2011 6:13 am | News | CommentsNew York Univ.'s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences has received a grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop a bird-sized, self-flying plane that could navigate through both forests and urban environments.
Scientists elevate warfighter readiness against invisible threats
February 10, 2011 5:36 am | News | CommentsIn asymmetric warfare, early detection and identification of trace level chemical and biological agents and explosive compounds is critical to rapid reaction, response, and survivability. While there are many methods currently being used that can detect these threats, none allow for the unique fingerprinting of threat agents at trace levels. A research team from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has overcome this limitation with surface enhanced Raman scattering using optically stimulated plasmon oscillations in nanostructured substrates.
