A numerical perspective on Nature authors.

As part of the plasma physics group at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, Manuel Hegelich looks after a research programme that uses a short-pulse laser. The working environment is fairly free-form, he says, and team members are encouraged to “follow their nose”. But every three or four months, this freedom is curtailed as the team goes on an experimental run.

For up to six weeks, Hegelich and his group can use the main laser facility, and they work as many hours as they can. They spend all day with the technicians running experiments, and then stay behind to analyse the data after the technicians go home. On page 441, the group reports on the production of laser-driven high-energy ion beams with vastly reduced energy spreads compared with previous experiments.

29 submissions were made to Nature in the past six months came from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

45 scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have reported original research in Nature in the past year.

$2.2 billion is the approximate annual budget for Los Alamos National Laboratory.

39.5 square miles is the area covered by Los Alamos National Laboratory.