View source for United States Department of Energy National Laboratories

{{Short description|Laboratories owned by the United States Department of Energy}}
[[File:National Laboratories.jpg|alt=Map of the National Laboratories of the US Department of Energy.|thumb|Map of the 17 DOE National Laboratories.|200x200px]]
The '''United States Department of Energy National Laboratories and Technology Centers''' is a system of [[Laboratory|laboratories]] overseen by the [[United States Department of Energy]] (DOE) for scientific and technological [[research]]. The primary mission of the DOE national laboratories is to conduct [[research and development]] (R&D) addressing national priorities: [[Climate and energy|energy and climate]], the environment, [[national security]], and [[Public health|health]].<ref name=DOElabs>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories |title = National Laboratories | website = U.S. Department of Energy | access-date = February 11, 2023}}</ref> Sixteen of the seventeen DOE national laboratories are [[federally funded research and development centers]] administered, managed, operated and staffed by [[Private sector|private-sector]] organizations under management and operating (M&O) contracts with the DOE.<ref>The [[National Energy Technology Laboratory]] is the only laboratory which is government owned – government operated (GOGO), or managed directly by the DOE. The others are government owned – contractor operated (GOCO).</ref>  The National Laboratory system was established in the wake of World War II, during which the United States had quickly set-up and pursued advanced scientific research in the sprawling [[Manhattan Project]].

== The laboratories and their research mission ==

The DOE is the nation's largest sponsor of research in the physical sciences and engineering, and is second to the Department of Defense in   supporting computer sciences and mathematics.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf22323 | title = Federal Funds for Research and Development: Fiscal Years 2020–21 | website = National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (National Science Foundation) | access-date = February 11, 2023 }}</ref> Most of that research is performed by the national laboratories.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.energy.gov/articles/state-doe-national-laboratories-2020-edition | title = The State of the DOE National Laboratories (2020 edition) | format = PDF | website = U.S. Department of Energy | access-date = February 11, 2023 }}</ref>

Although the national laboratories form an integrated system, each of them has its individual mission, capabilities, and structure. 
[[File:The DOE National Laboratories.jpg|The Department of Energy executes the research to support its missions through 17 national laboratories.|thumb|center|alt=|upright=2.5]] The chart shows the nature of the research done at each laboratory. 
{{bulleted list | Each multipurpose science laboratory possesses a number of core capabilities and facilities that enable a wide range of multidisciplinary research. | Each of the single program science laboratories focuses its research on fundamental research in a particular field of physical science. | Three multipurpose security labs principally support the nuclear security mission, while also using their capabilities to perform a wide range of research. | Each of the three energy technology labs focuses its research on a particular sector of energy technologies. | One multipurpose environmental laboratory focuses on the research supporting the DOE's environmental management work.}}
All 17 of the laboratories are listed below, along with the location, establishment date, and the organization that currently operates each.

{| class="wikitable sortable" 
!Name
!Location & Establishment date
!Operating organization
!Number of employees/ Annual budget (FY2021)
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Office of Science]]
|-
|[[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory]] (LBNL)
|[[Berkeley, California]], 1931
|[[University of California]] (since 1931)
| 3,395<br>{{Currency|1,051M|US}}
|-
|[[Argonne National Laboratory]] (ANL)
|[[DuPage County, Illinois]], 1941 (Argonne was named the first National Laboratory in 1946)
|UChicago Argonne, LLC
| 3,532<br>{{Currency|1,100M|US}}
|-
|[[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] (ORNL)
|[[Oak Ridge, Tennessee]], 1943
|
[[UT–Battelle]] (since April 2000)<ref>Previous management and operations (M&O) contractors for ORNL were founding [[University of Chicago]] and the [[U.S. Army]]; [[Monsanto]] (ca. 1945–1947), [[Union Carbide]] (1947–1984), [[Martin Marietta]] (1984–1995), and [[Lockheed Martin]] (1995–2000){{Cite web|url=http://www.ornl.gov/info/swords/swords.shtml|title=Swords to Plowshares: A Short History of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (1943-1993)|date=2012-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017050729/http://www.ornl.gov/info/swords/swords.shtml|access-date=2019-05-03|archive-date=2012-10-17}} {{Cite web|url=https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/ORNL%20Review%20v36n1%202003.pdf|title=ORNL Review: Sixty Years of Great Science|page=21}}</ref>
|4,368<br>{{Currency|2,130M|US}}
|-
|[[Ames National Laboratory]]
|[[Ames, Iowa]], 1947
|[[Iowa State University]] (since 1947)
| 310<br>{{Currency|58M|US}}
|-
|[[Brookhaven National Laboratory]] (BNL)
|[[Upton, New York]], 1947
|
Brookhaven Science Associates (since 1998)<ref>Associated Universities, Incorporated managed Brookhaven from 1947 to 1998</ref>
| 2,989<br>{{Currency|572M|US}}
|-
|[[Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory]] (PPPL)
|[[Princeton, New Jersey]], 1951
|[[Princeton University]] (since 1951)
| 414<br>{{Currency|83M|US}}
|-
|[[SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory]]
|[[Menlo Park, California]], 1962
|[[Stanford University]] (since 1962)
| 1,684<br>{{Currency|434M|US}}
|-
|[[Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]] (PNNL)
|[[Richland, Washington]], 1965
|[[Battelle Memorial Institute]] (since 1965)
| 4,100<br>{{Currency|727M|US}}
|-
|[[Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory]] (FNAL)
|[[Batavia, Illinois]], 1967
|Fermi Research Alliance (since 2007)<ref>University Research Associates managed Fermilab from 1967 to 2007.</ref>
| 1,757<br>{{Currency|596M|US}}
|-
|[[Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility]] (TJNAF)
|[[Newport News, Virginia]], 1984
|Jefferson Science Associates, LLC (since 2006)
| 759<br>{{Currency|135M|US}}
|-
! colspan="4" |[[National Nuclear Security Administration]]
|-
|[[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] (LANL)
|[[Los Alamos, New Mexico]], 1943
|
Triad National Security, LLC (Since 2018)
<ref>Previous M&O contractors for LANL were the University of California (1943-2007) and Los Alamos National Laboratory, LLC (2007-2018). See more details at {{cite web | url=https://www.ucop.edu/laboratory-management/about-the-labs/overview-lanl.html | title = Los Alamos National Laboratory | website = University of California Office of the President | access-date = February 14, 2023 }}</ref>
| 14,150<br>{{Currency|3,648M|US}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Sandia National Laboratories]] (SNL)
|[[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], 1948
 | rowspan="2" |
[[Honeywell|Honeywell International]] (since 2017)<ref>The Z Division of LANL was established as a separate laboratory, Sandia, in 1948. Previous M&O contractors for SNL were the University of California (1948-1949), AT&T Corporation (1949-1993), and Lockheed Martin (1993-2017). See more details at {{cite web | url=https://www.sandia.gov/about/history/ | title= A Bold Heritage | website = Sandia National Laboratory | access-date=February 14, 2023 }} 
</ref>
| rowspan = "2" |13,400<br>{{Currency|2,813M|US}}
|-
|[[Livermore, California]], 1956
|-
|[[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]] (LLNL)
|[[Livermore, California]], 1952
|
Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (since 2007)<ref>The University of California managed LLNL from 1952 to 2007. See more details at {{cite web | url=https://www.ucop.edu/laboratory-management/about-the-labs/overview-llnl.html | title = Livermore National Laboratory | website = University of California Office of the President | access-date = February 14, 2023 }}</ref> 
| 8,000<br>{{Currency|2,217M|US}}
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy]]
|-
|[[National Renewable Energy Laboratory]] (NREL)
|[[Golden, Colorado]], 1977
|Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC (since 2008)<ref>The Midwestern Research Institute and MRI  Global managed NREL from 1977 to 2008. See more details at {{cite web | url=https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/84180.pdf | title = History National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) | website= National Renewable Energy Laboratory | access-date = February 14, 2023 }}</ref>
| 2,685<br>{{Currency|393M|US}}
|-
! colspan="4" |Office of Environmental Management
|-
|[[Savannah River National Laboratory]] (SRNL)
|[[Aiken, South Carolina]], 1952{{efn|SRNL was first certified as a national laboratory on May 7, 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.energy.gov/news/archives/1341.htm|title=Energy Secretary Abraham Certifies Savannah River Technology Center As New Department of Energy National Laboratory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527173838/http://energy.gov/news/archives/1341.htm |date=May 7, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-05-27}}</ref>}}
|
Battelle Savannah River Alliance (Since 2021)<ref>The Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC managed SRNL from 2008 to 2021.</ref>
| 900<br>{{currency|$400M|US}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://srnl.doe.gov/facts/SRNL_overview_final_062022.pdf|title=About Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL)}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="4" |Office of Fossil Energy & Carbon Management
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[National Energy Technology Laboratory]] (NETL)
|[[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], 1910
| rowspan="3" |Department of Energy
| rowspan="3" | 1,400<br>{{Currency|681M|US}}
|-
|[[Morgantown, West Virginia]], 1946
|-
|[[Albany, Oregon]], 2005
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Office of Nuclear Energy]]
|-
|[[Idaho National Laboratory]] (INL)
|[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]], 1949
|
[[Battelle Memorial Institute]] (since 2005)<ref>[[Bechtel]] managed INL before 2005.</ref> 
| 5,700<br>{{Currency|1,818M|US}}
|}

{{notelist}}

== National Scientific User Facilities ==
The DOE Office of Science operates an extensive network of 28 national scientific user facilities.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities | title = User Facilities | website = US Department of Energy Office of Science | date = 29 September 2020 | access-date = February 14, 2023 }} {{cite web | url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance | title = User Facilities at a Glance | website = US Department of Energy Office of Science | date = 3 May 2022 | access-date=February 14, 2023}}</ref> A total of over 30,000 scientific users from universities, national laboratories, and technology companies use these facilities to advance their research and development. The staff of experts at each facility who build and operate the associated instruments and work with visiting scientists to mount experiments with them. This access and support is provided without charge to qualified scientific groups, with priority based on recommendations by expert review panels. All six research offices support scientific user facilities at national laboratories.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! colspan="4" |Office of Science National Scientific User Facilities 
|-
!Sponsoring program office
!Type of facility
!User facility name & laboratory
!Number of staff (approx.)/ number of scientific users (2021)
|-
| rowspan="4" | Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)<ref>The Advanced Scientific Computing Research program provides support for four user facilities, three high-performance computing centers and a high-volume research network. {{cite web|title=ASCR User Facilities|url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance/ASCR|website=US Department of Energy Office of Science |date=9 December 2014 | access-date=February 14, 2023}}</ref> 
|rowspan="3"| [[High-performance computing]] (HPC) facilities
<ref>The DOE operates 5 of the top 20 HPC systems in the [[Top 500]] ratings of supercomputers, including the top ranked system.  {{cite web | url=https://www.top500.org/lists/top500/2022/11/ | title= Top500 November 2022 list | access-date = February 14, 2023 }}</ref>  
| Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) @ ANL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alcf.anl.gov/ | title = Argonne Leadership Computing Facility | website = Argonne National Laboratory}}</ref> 
|170/1,168
|-
|[[National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center]] (NERSC) @ LBNL
<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nersc.gov/| title = National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center| website = NERSC.gov | access-date=February 14, 2023}}</ref>
|130/8,751 
|-
| [[Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility]] (OLCF) @ ORNL
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.olcf.ornl.gov/ | title=Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility | website  = Oak Ridge National Laboratory | access-date = February 14, 2023 }}</ref>
| 180/1,696
|-
|High-performance research network
|[[Energy Sciences Network]] (ESnet) @ LBNL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.es.net/about | title = About ESnet | website = Energy Sciences Network | access-date=February 14, 2023 }} {{cite web | url=https://www.es.net/news-and-publications/esnet-news/2022/esnet-launches-next-generation-network-to-enhance-collaborative-science/ | title = ESnet launches next generation network to enhance collaborative science | website = Energy Sciences Network | access-date = February 14, 2023 }}</ref>
| 135/
|-
| rowspan="3" | Biological and Environmental Research(BER)<ref>The Biological and Environmental Research program provides support for three user facilities. {{cite web|title=BER User Facilities|url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance/BER|website=US Department of Energy Office of Science |date=9 December 2014 | access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref> 
| 
Facility for atmospheric observations
| [[Atmospheric Radiation Measurement]] facility (ARM) @ PNNL (lead lab)<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://arm.gov/ | title = ARM Research Facility | access-date=February 20, 2023 }}  
</ref>
| 100/960 
|-
| 
Facility for environmental molecular sciences
| [[Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory ]] (EMSL) @ PNNL<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://emsl.pnnl.gov/ | title =  Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory | website = Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |access-date=February 20, 2023 }}  
</ref>
| 180/801 
|-
| 
Facility for integrative genomic science 
| The [[Joint Genome Institute]] (JGI) @ LBNL<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://biosciences.lbl.gov/area-organization/jgi/| title = DOE Joint Genome Institute | website = Berkeley Lab |access-date=February 20, 2023 }}  
</ref>
| 250/2,180 
|-
| rowspan="12" | Basic Energy Sciences (BES)<ref>The Basic Energy Science program provides support for twelve user facilities, principally for the study of chemistry and materials: five x-ray light sources, five nanoscale research centers, and two neutron scattering centers. {{cite web|title=BES User Facilities|url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance/BES|website=US Department of Energy Office of Science |date=25 March 2015 | access-date=February 14, 2023}}</ref> 
|rowspan="5"| X-ray light source facilities<ref>
{{cite web | url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance/BES/X-Ray-Light-Sources | title=X-Ray Light Sources | website = US Department of Energy Office of Science | date=25 March 2015 | access-date=February 19, 2023 }}</ref>
| The [[Advanced Light Source]] (ALS) @ LBNL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://als.lbl.gov/ | title= The Advanced Light Source | website = Berkeley Lab | access-date = February 15, 2023}} {{cite web | url=https://als.lbl.gov/als-u/overview/ | title = ALS-U overview | website = Berkeley Lab }}
</ref>
| 200/1,159
|-
|The [[Advanced Photon Source]] (APS) @ ANL<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.aps.anl.gov/ | title = The Advanced Photon Source | website = Argonne National Laboratory }}  {{cite web | url=https://www.aps.anl.gov/APS-Upgrade/About-the-APS-Upgrade | title = About the APS Upgrade | website = Argonne National Laboratory }}
</ref>
| 450/3,686
|-
|[[National Synchrotron Light Source II]] (NSLS-II) @ BNL<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.bnl.gov/nsls2/ | title = National Synchrotron Light Source II | website = Brookhaven National Laboratory }} 
</ref>
| 375/1,022
|-
|The [[Linac Coherent Light Source]] (LCLS) @ SLAC<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://lcls.slac.stanford.edu/| title = Linear Coherent Light Source | website = SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory }} {{ cite web | url=https://lcls.slac.stanford.edu/lcls-ii| title = LCLS-II, A World-Class Discovery Machine | website = SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory }}</ref>
| 326/720
|-
|The [[Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource]] (SSRL) @ SLAC<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/content/about-ssrl/about-stanford-synchrotron-radiation-lightsource/| title = About the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource | website = SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory }} 
</ref>
| 150/1030
|-
|rowspan="5"| Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs)
<ref>
{{cite web | url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance/BES/Nanoscale-Science-Research-Centers | title=Nanoscale Science Research Centers| website = US Department of Energy Office of Science | date=25 March 2015| access-date=February 19, 2023 }}</ref>
| The [[Center for Functional Nanomaterials]] (CFN) @ BNL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/ | title= The Center for Functional Nanomaterials | website = Brookhaven National Laboratory | access-date = February 19, 2023}} 
</ref>
| 65/571
|- 
| The ''Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies'' (CINT) @ LANL & SNL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://cint.lanl.gov/ | title= The Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies | website = Los Alamos National Laboratory | access-date = February 19, 2023}}
{{cite web | url=https://cint.sandia.gov/ | title= The Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies | website = Sandia National Laboratory | access-date = February 19, 2023}}
</ref>
| 100/721
|- 
| The [[Center for Nanoscale Materials]] (CNM) @ ANL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.anl.gov/cnm | title= The Center for Nanoscale Materials | website = Argonne National Laboratory | access-date = February 19, 2023}} 
</ref>
| 54/702
|- 
| The [[Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences]] (CNMS) @ ORNL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ornl.gov/facility/cnms  | title= The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences | website = Oak Ridge National Laboratory | access-date = February 19, 2023}} 
</ref>
| 108/656
|-
| The [[Molecular Foundry]] (TMF) @ LBNL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://foundry.lbl.gov/ | title= The Molecular Foundry | website = Berkeley Lab | access-date = February 19, 2023}} 
</ref>
| 67/654
|-
|rowspan="2"| Neutron Scattering Facilities 
<ref>
{{cite web | url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance/BES/Neutron-Scattering-Facilities | title=Neutron Scattering Facilities| website = US Department of Energy Office of Science | date=25 March 2015| access-date=February 19, 2023 }}</ref>
| The [[High Flux Isotope Reactor]] (HFIR) @ ORNL<ref>{{cite web | url= https://neutrons.ornl.gov/hfir | title= The High Flux Isotope Reactor | website = Oak Ridge National Laboratory | access-date = February 19, 2023}} 
</ref>
| 100/202
|-
| The [[Spallation Neutron Source]] (SNS) @ ORNL<ref>{{cite web | url= https://neutrons.ornl.gov/sns | title= The Spallation Neutron Source | website = Oak Ridge National Laboratory | access-date = February 19, 2023}} 
</ref>
| 450/483
|-
| rowspan="2" | Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)<ref>The Fusion Energy Sciences program provides support for two user facilities. {{cite web|title=FES User Facilities|url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance/FES|website=US Department of Energy Office of Science |date=9 December 2014 | access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref> 
| rowspan="2" |Fusion Facilities
| The [[DIII-D (tokamak)]] National Fusion Facility @ [[General Atomics]]<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.ga.com/magnetic-fusion/diii-d | title = DIII-D national fusion facility | website = General Atomics | access-date=February 20, 2023 }}  
</ref>
| NA/429 
|-
| [[National Spherical Torus Experiment]] (NSTX) @ PPPL<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.pppl.gov/research/nstx-u/ | title =  National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade | website = Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory |access-date=February 20, 2023 }}  
</ref>
| 300/358 
|-
| rowspan="3" | High Energy Physics (HEP)<ref>The High Energy Physics program provides support for three user facilities, one multi-stage accelerator complex supporting a broad physics program, and two accelerator test facilities. {{cite web|title=HEP User Facilities|url=https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance/HEP|website=US Department of Energy Office of Science | access-date=February 24, 2023}}</ref> 
| Accelerator complex supporting physics experiments 
| The [[Fermilab]] Accelerator Complex @ FNAL<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fnal.gov/ | title= Fermilab |  access-date = February 24, 2023}} 
</ref>
| 500/1,725
|-
| rowspan="2" |Accelerator test facilities
| The Accelerator Test Facility @ BNL<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.bnl.gov/atf/ | title = Accelerator Test Facility | website = Brookhaven National Laboratory | access-date=February 24, 2023 }}  
</ref>
| 16/80 
|-
| The Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) @ SLAC<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://facet-ii.slac.stanford.edu/ | title =  FACET-II Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests| website = SLAC National Laboratory |access-date=February 24, 2023 }}  
</ref>
| 25/111 
|-


|}

== History ==
[[File:Seal of the United States Department of Energy.svg|thumb|The official seal of the U.S. Department of Energy.]]

The system of national laboratories started with the massive scientific endeavors of [[World War II]], in which several new technologies, especially the [[atomic bomb]], proved decisive for the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] victory. Though the United States government had begun seriously investing in scientific research for national security in [[World War I]], it was only in this wartime period that significant resources were committed to scientific problems, under the auspices first of the [[National Defense Research Committee]], and later the [[Office of Scientific Research and Development]], organized and administered by  [[Vannevar Bush]].

During the Second World War, centralized sites such as the [[Radiation Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Radiation Laboratory]] at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] and [[Ernest O. Lawrence]]'s [[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory|laboratory]] at [[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]] and the [[Metallurgical Laboratory]] at the University of Chicago allowed for a large number of expert scientists to collaborate towards defined goals as never before, and with government resources of unprecedented scale at their disposal.

In the course of the war, the Allied nuclear effort, the [[Manhattan Project]], created several secret sites for the purpose of bomb research and material development, including a laboratory in the mountains of [[New Mexico]] directed by [[Robert Oppenheimer]] ([[Los Alamos National Laboratory|Los Alamos]]), and sites at [[Hanford Site|Hanford, Washington]] and [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory|Oak Ridge, Tennessee]]. Hanford and Oak Ridge were administered by private companies, and Los Alamos was administered by a public university (the [[University of California]]). Additional success was had at the [[University of Chicago]] in [[nuclear reactor|reactor]] research, leading to the creation of [[Argonne National Laboratory]] outside Chicago, and at other academic institutions spread across the country.

After the war and its scientific successes, the newly created [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] took over the future of the wartime laboratories, extending their lives indefinitely (they were originally thought of as temporary creations). Funding and infrastructure were secured to sponsor other "national laboratories" for both classified and basic research, especially in [[physics]], with each national laboratory centered around one or many expensive machines (such as [[particle accelerators]] or [[nuclear reactors]]).

Most national laboratories maintained staffs of local researchers as well as allowing for visiting researchers to use their equipment, though priority to local or visiting researchers often varied from lab to lab. With their centralization of resources (both monetary and intellectual), the national labs serve as an exemplar for [[Big Science]].

The national laboratory system, administered first by the Atomic Energy Commission, then the [[Energy Research and Development Administration]], and currently the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]], is one of the largest (if not the largest) scientific research systems in the world. The DOE provides about a third of the total national funding for [[physics]], [[chemistry]], [[materials science]], and other areas of the [[physical sciences]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Federal obligations for research in physical sciences, by agency and detailed field: FY 2019 |url=https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf21329/assets/data-tables/tables/nsf21329-tab024.pdf |accessdate=27 December 2021 |publisher=National Science Foundation - National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics}} 3,197,261.8 kUSD out of a total of 9,816,132.9 kUSD is provided by the DOE. The fraction was higher (~40%) in FY 2016 ([https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/fedfunds/2016/html/ffs2016_dst_024.html]).</ref>

==In popular culture==
* In the [[Netflix]] web series ''[[Stranger Things]]'', a fictional laboratory called '''Hawkins National Laboratory''' run by the [[United States Department of Energy|DOE]] is located in the fictional town of Hawkins, [[Indiana]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.energy.gov/articles/what-stranger-things-didnt-get-quite-so-right-about-energy-department | title= What ''Stranger Things'' didn't get quite so right about the Energy Department | website = U.S. Department of Energy | access-date=February 19, 2023 }}</ref>
* In the [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] show ''[[Breaking Bad]]'', [[Walter White (Breaking Bad)|Walter White]] works for [[Sandia National Laboratories]] prior to Season One.
* In the 2003 film The [[Hulk]], a model of the Gamma Sphere, built at [[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory]] as a detector of gamma rays, is used as the powerful source of gamma rays.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nature.com/articles/news030616-3 | last = Brumfiel | first = Geoff | title=Real Experiment Stars in Hulk Movie | work = Science Magazine | date = June 17, 2003 | access-date = February 19, 2023 }}</ref> The Hulk ends up hurling it through the iconic dome of the Advanced Light Source, which was designed by [[Arthur Brown Jr.]] around 1940 for the 184-inch cyclotron.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lightsources.org/lightsources-of-the-world/americas/advanced-light-source-als/ | title= The Advanced Light Source | website = Lightsources.org | date= 11 October 2017 | access-date = February 19, 2023 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Westwick, Peter J. (2003). [http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674009486 ''The National Labs: Science in an American System, 1947–1974'']. Cambridge: [[Harvard University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-674-00948-6}}.

== External links ==
{{Prone to spam|date=June 2023}}
<!--     
      {{No more links}}


Please be cautious when adding more external links.

Wikipedia is not a collection of links and should not be used for advertising.

Excessive or inappropriate links will be removed.

See [[Wikipedia:External links]] and [[Wikipedia:Spam]] for details.

If there are already suitable links, propose additions or replacements on
the article's talk page.

-->
{{Commons category|United States Department of Energy National Laboratories}}
* [https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories Energy.gov: Department of Energy National Laboratories website]
* [http://science.energy.gov/lpe/%E2%80%8Bstrategic-planning-process/~/media/lpe/pdf/FY_2011_Public_SC_Laboratory_Plans_2011-08-18.pdf Science.energy.gov: U.S. Department of Energy; Ten-Year Plans for the Office of Science's National Laboratories]
* [https://www.energy.gov/budget-performance Energy.gov: DOE Budget Page, with link to National Laboratories budgets]

{{U.S. National Labs}}
{{US research agencies}}
{{United States government agencies involved in environmental science}}
{{Authority control}}

{{coord missing|Washington, D.C.}}

[[Category:United States Department of Energy national laboratories| ]]
[[Category:Laboratories in the United States]]
[[Category:Energy research institutes]]
[[Category:Nuclear history of the United States|Department of Energy laboratories]]
[[Category:Nuclear weapons program of the United States]]
[[Category:Research institutes in the United States]]
[[Category:United States Department of Energy facilities]]
[[Category:Science and technology in the United States]]
[[Category:United States Department of Energy]]