Tunable atomic test bed allows researchers to explore the phenomena behind exotic materials. Researchers at Dartmouth have built the world’s first superfluid circuit that uses pairs of ultracold electron-like atoms, according to a study published in Physical Review Letters. The laboratory test bed gives physicists control over the strength of interactions between atoms, providing a new way to explore the phenomena behind exotic materials such as superconductors. “Much of modern technology revolves around controlling the flow of electrons around circuits,”…
Rutgers study shows new way dunes can form on varied celestial surfaces. Scientists have long wondered how Jupiter’s innermost moon, Io, has meandering ridges as grand as any that can be seen in movies like “Dune.” Now, a Rutgers research study has provided a new explanation of how dunes can form even on a surface as icy and roiling as Io’s. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is based on a study of the physical processes controlling grain…
The manufacturing technique enables faster production, greater optical quality and design flexibility. Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a new way to 3D-print glass microstructures that is faster and produces objects with higher optical quality, design flexibility and strength, according to a new study published in the April 15 issue of the journal Science. Working with scientists from the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany, the researchers expanded the capabilities of a 3D-printing process they developed three years ago —…
The brain has the ability to modify the contacts between neurons. Among other things, that is how it prevents brain activity from getting out of control. Researchers from the University of Bonn, together with a team from Australia, have identified a mechanism that plays an important role in this. In cultured cells, this mechanism alters the synaptic coupling of neurons and thus stimulus transmission and processing. If it is disrupted, diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia or autism may be the…
Measuring system opens up new perspectives for additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing processes continue to grow in the automotive, aerospace and other industries. When complex components or unique parts need to be produced, an increasing number of companies are turning to industrial 3D printing. However, the run-in curves can still be quite long, especially for small batches, and the reject rates may be high at the beginning. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS Dresden therefore develops modern measurement…
Optical microsystems are forging the Path of Light: The photonic systems of Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS can modulate light using small deflectable mirrors to create unique images and structures. Hereby the research institute is developing spatial light modulators with up to several million mirrors on a semiconductor chip. Main areas of application for mirror matrices are in the fields of microlithography in the deep ultraviolet range, production of printed circuit boards (PCBs), semiconductor inspection and metrology, as well…
Electrostatic influences the movement of drops on surfaces. Something as simple as the motion of water drops on surfaces should actually be understood – one would think. In fact there are still numerous unanswered questions about the forces acting on a sliding droplet. A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in collaboration with colleagues from TU Darmstadt has now discovered: In addition to surface energy and viscous friction within the droplet, electrostatics also play a…
Nova outbursts are apparently a source for cosmic rays. Light on, light off – this is how one could describe the behavior of the nova, which goes by the name RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph). Every 15 years or so, a dramatic explosion occurs in the constellation of the Serpent Bearer. Birthplaces of a nova are systems in which two very different stars live in a parasitic relationship: A white dwarf, a small, burned-out and tremendously dense star – a teaspoon…
Red giants’ mass ‘stolen’ by stellar neighbours. Astronomers at the University of Sydney have found a slimmer type of red giant star for the first time. These stars have undergone dramatic weight loss, possibly due to the presence a greedy neighbour. Published in Nature Astronomy, the discovery is an important step forward to understanding the life of stars in the Milky Way – our closest stellar neighbours. There are millions of ‘red giant’ stars found in our galaxy. These cool…
THE University of Huddersfield has forged a partnership with an innovative technology business to work with Network Rail on developing a safer and more reliable track lubrication measurement system. The collaboration will allow the University’s award-winning Institute of Railway Research (IRR) to work with Sheffield-based small and medium enterprise (SME) Tribosonics Ltd to develop a novel solution to the problem of detecting whether a critical form of lubrication is present between a railway wheel and the track. In partnership with Network Rail and funded through its…
Improved efficiency of wireless energy transfer of ultrasonic waves by triboelectric power generation. Ultrasonic waves have applications in wireless charging of batteries underwater or in body-implanted electronic devices. As population ages and with the advancements in medical technology, the number of patients using implanted electronic devices, such as artificial pacemakers and defibrillators, is increasing worldwide. Currently, the batteries of body-implanted devices are replaced by an incision surgery, which may lead to health complications. Accordingly, a new charging technique by wireless…
In chemistry, there are structures that are particularly stable, such as the so-called “benzene ring” consisting of six interconnected carbon atoms. Such rings form the structural basis for graphite and graphene, but they also occur in many dyes – such as the jeans dye indigo and in many drugs such as aspirin. When chemists wanted to build such rings in a targeted manner, they used so-called coupling reactions, which usually bear the name of their inventors: for example, the Diels-Alder…
Have you ever wondered if bacteria make distinctive sounds? If we could listen to bacteria, we would be able to know whether they are alive or not. When bacteria are killed using an antibiotic, those sounds would stop – unless of course the bacteria are resistant to the antibiotic. This is exactly what a team of researchers from TU Delft , led by dr. Farbod Alijani, now have managed to do: they captured low-level noise of a single bacterium using…
Researcheres tested the nanoparticles on human immune cells cultured in vitro and found that the chiral nanoparticles induced production of substances associated with an immune response even in the absence of an antigen. Vaccines can be made over 25% more effective by adding left-handed chiral gold nanoparticles as adjuvants, according to a study by an international collaboration in which Brazilian researchers took part. An article reporting the results is published in Nature. Three research groups collaborated on the study, one affiliated with…
Rice study suggests stress among misaligned particles in typical cathodes limits flow. If you could shrink enough for a fantastic voyage across a lithium battery electrode, you’d see the level of charge at every scale is highly uneven. This is not good for the battery’s health. Rice University researchers who recognize the problem worked with the Department of Energy to view in great detail how the various particles in an electrode interact with lithium during use. Specifically, the Rice lab…
On the micrometer scale deformation properties of metals change profoundly: the smooth and continuous behaviour of bulk materials often becomes jerky due to random strain bursts of various sizes. On the micrometer scale deformation properties of metals change profoundly: the smooth and continuous behaviour of bulk materials often becomes jerky due to random strain bursts of various sizes. The reason for this phenomenon is the complex intermittent redistribution of lattice dislocations (which are line-like ctystal defects responsible for the irreversible…
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