DOE/LANL Jurisdiction Fire Danger Rating:
Discoveries Banner
  1. LANL Home
  2. Engage with LANL

Discoveries

More than 80 years of Science and Engineering Discoveries

The history of discovery by Los Alamos scientists and engineers began with Project Y of the Manhattan Project in 1943 and continues to the present day.

The Laboratory’s ability to deliver on its several missions is made possible by excellence across the breadth of science and engineering. In pursuit of that excellence, the Laboratory delivers discoveries that change our understanding of the universe and underlie our ability to contribute to the nation and the world. Our science and engineering is organized into 6 Capability Pillars. While the discoveries below fall into 5 pillars, they make possible the Laboratory’s sixth pillar, Weapons Systems.

Discoveries Big Banner

Explore the Discoveries

Much of this history of discovery came from work at the boundary between disciplines. Although each discovery is mapped to one of the Laboratory’s Capability Pillars, several discoveries cross Pillar boundaries.

Download the poster (pdf)

  • Nuclear and Particle Futures

    This pillar integrates diverse experiments, theory, and simulation in order to understand and engineer complex nuclear phenomena.

    • Neutronsarrow_forward
    • Neutrinosarrow_forward
    • Nuclear Applicationsarrow_forward
    • Cosmic Explosionsarrow_forward
    • All Nuclear and Particle Futures discoveriesarrow_forward

  • Information Science and Technology

    This pillar stimulates and leverages advances in physical theory, applied math, data science, algorithms, and diverse approaches to high-performance computing to accelerate predictive capability.

    • Nonlinear Dynamicsarrow_forward
    • On-line Archivesarrow_forward
    • Algorithmsarrow_forward
    • All Information Science and Technology Discoveriesarrow_forward

  • Materials for the Future

    This pillar pursues the discovery science and engineering for advanced and new materials to intentionally control functionality and predict performance to enable our missions.

    • Advanced Manufacturingarrow_forward
    • Integrated Nanomaterialsarrow_forward
    • Plutonium sciencearrow_forward
    • Quantum Materialsarrow_forward
    • All Materials for the Future discoveriesarrow_forward

  • Science of Signatures

    This pillar's goal is to discover new signatures, revolutionize the measurement of signatures, and engineer and deploy advanced signature-related technologies from the lab to the field.

    • Biomedical Isotopesarrow_forward
    • Dynamic Imagingarrow_forward
    • Quantum Informationarrow_forward
    • All Science of Signatures discoveriesarrow_forward

  • Complex Natural and Engineered Systems

    This pillar focuses on engineered systems such as nuclear weapons and the power grid, to understanding the interface of human and engineered systems from the subsurface to space, to studying how complex natural systems such as disease impact humanity.

    • Fuel Cellsarrow_forward
    • The Genomearrow_forward
    • Earth Systems Modelingarrow_forward
    • The Subsurfacearrow_forward
    • The Planetsarrow_forward
    • Space Sciencearrow_forward

Los Alamos National Laboratory

P.O. Box 1663

Los Alamos, NM 87545

(505) 667-5061

At The Lab

  • Business Opportunities
  • Jobs
  • Organizations
  • Research Library
  • User Facilities

Information

  • Emergency
  • Ombuds
  • Reading Room
  • Resources
  • Science Museum

For Employees

  • AskIT
  • LANLInside
  • MyMail
  • Training
DOE White Seal
  • Terms of Use/Privacy

Managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s NNSA

Copyright 2026 Triad National Security, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Learn about the Department of Energy’s Vulnerability Disclosure Program