Nanotechnology enables us to harness new capabilities tailored to emerging global security needs far better than even state-of-the-art technologies used today. The potential to design nanoscale devices—as small as one billionth of a meter—makes science and engineering sound more like science fiction. The Modeling and Simulation (M&S) team, within the Lockheed Martin Nanotechnology Initiative, is a core group with demonstrated expertise in nanotechology theory, modeling,and engineering.

Through modeling and simulation of nanotechnology properties, Lockheed Martin’s M&S team reduces risk and cost to research and development programs by offering a less expensive, faster, and more robust environment than experimentation alone can provide.

By developing the engineering toolkits needed to investigate the use of nanotechnology in the design of new materials, Lockheed Martin bridges the gap between contemporary theoretical research and experimental practice. M&S nanoscale development falls within four major initiatives:

• Nanotube Based Sensors – Models the electronic properties of nano­ materials designed to enhance the detection and resolution of optical and electromagnetic sensors. Advanced theoretical analyses and sophisticated simulations guide the development and design of next generation sensor devices.
• Material Structures Analysis – Models and extracts crucial material properties to find underlying relationships between nanomaterials structures, processing, and performance. Through an innovative combination of multi-scale physics models and informatics, the key features of nanomaterials are optimized to reach multiple objectives of weight reduction, strength improvements, and/or controlled thermal and electrical performance.
• Nanobiotechnology – Uses nature to find solutions to sensing, energy harvesting, and molecular recognition. This area is focused on development of novel sensors to detect chemical and biological warfare agents; diagnostic technologies; bio-facilitated energy harvesting for small, portable energy needs; and bio-mimetic approaches to environmental adaptation.
• Quantum Control – Research examines femtosecond laser pulses (photonic reagents) shaped by machine learning to drive specific electronic and atomic transitions inaccessible through traditional chemistry or spectroscopy. This technique is driving toward remote chemical and biological detection, and provides a means to control nanomaterials at the molecular scale.

Advancements in nanotechnology come largely through relationships between scientific exploration and technology applications. Through collaborations with other Lockheed Martin business areas and technology centers, universities, and companies with nanotechnology expertise, the Lockheed Martin M&S team has organized diverse knowledge resources crucial to the highly interdisciplinary field of nanotechnology. These capabilities are well positioned to lead modeling and simulation for virtual nanotechnology exploration, and new design and optimization tools for nanoscale devices and structures.