With a newly developed neutron tomography technique, an HZB team has mapped for the first time magnetic field lines inside materials at the BER II research reactor. Tensorial neutron tomography promises new insights into superconductors, battery electrodes and other energy-related materials. Measuring magnetic fields inside samples has only been possible indirectly up to now. Magnetic…
CREDO’s First Light: The Global Particle Detector Begins its Collection of Scientific Data
Now everyone can become co-creator and co-user of the largest detector of cosmic ray particles in history – as well as a potential co-discoverer. All you need is a smartphone and the CREDO Detector application turned on overnight. Under development for over two years, the CREDO project is entering the era of its maturity. Today,…
Nobel Prize in Physics for Lasers Honors First Woman in 55 Years, Plus Oldest Recipient
A Wrench in Earth’s Engine
A ‘Recipe Book’ that Creates Color Centers in Silicon Carbide Crystals
Silicon carbide (SiC), a material known for its toughness with applications from abrasives to car brakes, to high-temperature power electronics, has enjoyed renewed interest for its potential in quantum technology. Its ability to house optically excitable defects, called color centers, has made it a strong candidate material to become the building block of quantum computing.…
Defects Promise Quantum Communication Through Standard Optical Fiber
An international team of scientists led by the University of Groningen’s Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials has identified a way to create quantum bits that emit photons that describe their state at wavelengths close to those used by telecom providers. These qubits are based on silicon carbide in which molybdenum impurities create color centers. The…
Quantum Mechanics Work Lets Oil Industry Know Promise of Recovery Experiments Before They Start
With their current approach, energy companies can extract about 35 percent of the oil in each well. Every 1 percent above that, compounded across thousands of wells, can mean billions of dollars in additional revenue for the companies and supply for consumers. Extra oil can be pushed out of wells by forced water – often…
Photonic Chips Harness Sound Waves to Speed Up Local Networks
It used to be known as the information superhighway – the fibre-optic infrastructure on which our gigabytes and petabytes of data whizz around the world at (nearly) the speed of light. And like any highway system, increased traffic has created slowdowns, especially at the junctions where data jumps on or off the system. Local and…
Study of Tiny Vortices Could Lead to New Self-Healing Materials, Other Advances
In the “Wizard of Oz” a tornado picks up Dorothy’s house and moves it far away. A bit farfetched, right? But scientists at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory think that, on a much smaller scale, tiny vortices could one day be used to move microscopic particles. The vortices could one day be used…
Newly Discovered Magnetic State Could Lead to Green IT Solutions
Magnetic skyrmions are magnetic swirls that may lead to new solutions combining low-energy consumption with high-speed computational power and high-density data storage, revolutionizing information technology. A team from Delft University of Technology, in collaboration with the University of Groningen and Hiroshima University, has discovered a new, unexpected magnetic state, which is related to these skyrmions.…
First Particle Tracks Seen in Prototype for International Neutrino Experiment
The largest liquid-argon neutrino detector in the world has just recorded its first particle tracks, signaling the start of a new chapter in the story of the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). DUNE’s scientific mission is dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of neutrinos, the most abundant (and most mysterious) matter particles in the universe.…
Nuclear Pasta, the Hardest Known Substance in the Universe
A New Scientific Field: Quantum Metamaterials
Two teams of scientists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have collaborated to conduct groundbreaking research leading to the development of a new and innovative scientific field: Quantum Metamaterials. The findings are presented in a new joint paper published by the prestigious journal Science. The study was jointly conducted by Distinguished Professor Mordechai Segev, of…
Scientists Discover a ‘Tuneable’ Novel Quantum State of Matter
Quantum particles can be difficult to characterize, and almost impossible to control if they strongly interact with each other—until now. An international team of researchers led by Princeton physicist Zahid Hasan has discovered a quantum state of matter that can be “tuned” at will—and it’s 10 times more tuneable than existing theories can explain. This…
Separating the Sound from the Noise in Hot Plasma Fusion
In the search for abundant clean energy, scientists around the globe look to fusion power, where isotopes of hydrogen combine to form a larger particle, helium, and release large amounts of energy in the process. For fusion power plants to be effective, however, scientists must find a way to trigger the low-to-high confinement transition, or…
Pristine Quantum Light Source Created at the Edge of Silicon Chip
The smallest amount of light you can have is one photon, so dim that it’s pretty much invisible to humans. While imperceptible, these tiny blips of energy are useful for carrying quantum information around. Ideally, every quantum courier would be the same, but there isn’t a straightforward way to produce a stream of identical photons.…
Single Molecule Control for a Millionth of a Billionth of a Second
Physicists at the University of Bath have discovered how to manipulate and control individual molecules for a millionth of a billionth of a second, after being intrigued by some seemingly odd results. Their new technique is the most sensitive way of controlling a chemical reaction on some of the smallest scales scientists can work—at the…
Bio-Inspired Materials Decrease Drag for Liquids
An eco-friendly coating-free strategy has now been developed to make solid surfaces liquid repellent, which is crucial for the transportation of large quantities of liquids through pipes. Researchers from KAUST’s Water Desalination and Reuse Center have engineered nature-inspired surfaces that help to decrease frictional drag at the interface between liquid and pipe surface. Piping networks…
Pushing ‘Print’ on Large-Scale Piezoelectric Materials
Researchers have developed a revolutionary method to ‘print’ large-scale sheets of two dimensional piezoelectric material, opening new opportunities for piezo-sensors and energy harvesting. Importantly, the inexpensive process allows the integration of piezoelectric components directly onto silicon chips. Until now, no 2D piezoelectric material has been manufactured in large sheets, making it impossible to integrate into…
Physicist Cracks Code on Material That Works as Both Conductor, Insulator
Quantum materials are a type of odd substance that could be many times more efficient at conducting electricity through our iPhones than the commonly used conductor silicon—if only physicists can crack how the stuff works. A University of Michigan physicist has gotten one step closer with detailing a novel quantum material, ytterbium dodecaboride, or YbB12,…
Researchers Achieve First Ever Acceleration of Electrons in a Proton-Driven Plasma Wave
Early in the morning on Saturday, 26 May 2018, the AWAKE collaboration at CERN successfully accelerated electrons for the first time using a wakefield generated by protons zipping through a plasma. A paper describing this important result was published in the journal Nature today. The electrons were accelerated by a factor of around 100 over…
Quantum Leap for Einstein’s Scientific Principle
Protecting the Power Grid: Advanced Plasma Switch for More Efficient Transmission
Inside your home and office, low-voltage alternating current (AC) powers the lights, computers and electronic devices for everyday use. But when the electricity comes from remote long-distance sources such as hydro-power or solar generating plants, transporting it as direct current (DC) is more efficient — and converting it back to AC current requires bulky and…
State-of-the-Art Equipment Enables First Ever 6D Accelerator Beam Measurement
The first full characterization measurement of an accelerator beam in six dimensions will advance the understanding and performance of current and planned accelerators around the world. A team of researchers led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville conducted the measurement in a beam test facility at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory using…
The 2D Form of Tungsten Ditelluride is Full of Surprises
The general public might think of the 21st century as an era of revolutionary technological platforms, such as smartphones or social media. But for many scientists, this century is the era of another type of platform: two-dimensional materials, and their unexpected secrets. These 2-D materials can be prepared in crystalline sheets as thin as a…