An international research team led by scientists at the University of Oldenburg has succeeded in manipulating the energy-level structure in an ultra-thin sample in such a way that this semiconductor, which normally has a low luminescence yield, began to emit light. Whether or not a solid can emit light, for instance as a light-emitting diode (LED), depends on the energy levels of the electrons in its crystalline lattice. An international team of researchers led by University of Oldenburg physicists Dr…

The Webb team has now approved 10 out of 17 science instrument modes; since last week we added (14) MIRI imaging, (2) NIRCam wide-field slitless spectroscopy, and our final NIRISS mode, (10) single-object slitless spectroscopy. As we ramp down the final commissioning activities, some openings in the schedule have appeared. The team has started to take some of the first science data, getting it ready to release starting July 12, 2022, which will mark the official end of commissioning Webb and…

Research team led by Göttingen University combine two techniques to achieve isotropic super-resolution imaging. Over the last two decades, microscopy has seen unprecedented advances in speed and resolution. However, cellular structures are essentially three-dimensional, and conventional super-resolution techniques often lack the necessary resolution in all three directions to capture details at a nanometer scale. A research team led by Göttingen University, including the University of Würzburg and the Center for Cancer Research in the US, investigated a super-resolution imaging technique…

Communication networks need nodes at which information is processed or rerouted. Physicists at the University of Basel have now developed a network node for quantum communication networks that can store single photons in a vapor cell and pass them on later. In quantum communication networks, information is transmitted by single particles of light (photons). At the nodes of such a network buffer elements are needed which can temporarily store, and later re-emit, the quantum information contained in the photons. Researchers…

Glass-free technique could enable visual features that don’t require special reading devices or illumination. Researchers have developed a new ultra-thin film that can create detailed 3D images viewable under normal illumination without any special reading devices. The images appear to float on top of the film and exhibit smooth parallax, which means they can be clearly viewed from all angles. With additional development, the new glass-free approach could be used as a visual security feature or incorporated into virtual or…

Reading between the lines to model our galaxy’s central black hole. Looks can be deceiving. The light from an incandescent bulb seems steady, but it flickers 120 times per second. Because the brain only perceives an average of the information it receives, this flickering is blurred and the perception of constant illumination is a mere illusion. While light cannot escape a black hole, the bright glow of rapidly orbiting gas (recall the images of M87’s black hole and Sgr A*)…

The first report of room temperature ferroelectricity in bulk hafnia could extend Moore’s Law for data storage. The Science Ferroelectric materials are substances with spontaneous electrical polarization. Polarization refers to the separation of the negative and positive charges within a material. For ferroelectric materials, this means the “memory” of the material’s prior state (referred to as hysteresis) can store information in a way similar to magnetic storage devices such as hard disks. Ferroelectric materials based on the element hafnium show…

… through automation & robotics from Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade. From efficiency-enhancing flow-line manufacturing for large CFRP components over automated rudder fork assembly in aircraft vertical tails and automated pre-assembly of thermoplastic CFRP integral frames to assembly technologies for a promising lighter Clean Sky 2 aircraft fuselage of the future made of thermoplastic fiber-reinforced composites (FRP). ILA 2022 l Hall 4 l Booth 350 – The Automation and Production Technology experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced…

… to look into longitudinal plasmonic field in a nanocavity at subnano-scale. In a research work published June 19 in Journal of the American Chemical Society reported an innovative study that a group of scientists who have been engaged in Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), made a nano-ruler to look deeply into longitudinal plasmonic field in a nanocavity. SERS is a highly sensitive and powerful spectral analysis technique applicable in various fields. In contrast to weak Raman scattering, SERS realized a dramatically enhanced Raman…

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers observed unprecedented collective resonance motion in chiral helimagnets that allow a boost in current frequency bands. When will 6G be a reality? The race to realize sixth generation (6G) wireless communication systems requires the development of suitable magnetic materials. Scientists from Osaka Metropolitan University and their colleagues detected an unprecedented collective resonance at high frequencies in a magnetic superstructure called a chiral spin soliton lattice (CSL), revealing CSL-hosting chiral helimagnets as a promising material for 6G…

New microelectronics device can program and reprogram computer hardware on demand through electrical pulses. What if computers could learn to reconfigure their circuits when presented with new information? A multi-institutional team, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, has developed a material with which computer chips can be designed to do just that. It does so by mimicking functions in the human brain with so-called ​“neuromorphic” circuits and computer architecture. The team was led by Shriram Ramanathan, a…

A synthetic stub lattice in ring resonators represents a significant step toward construction of more complicated lattices in multiple rings associated with synthetic frequency dimensions. Synthetic dimensions in photonics offer exciting new ways to manipulate light, to study physical phenomena with exotic connectivities, and explore higher-dimensional physics. Dynamically modulated ring resonator systems, where resonant modes are coupled to construct a synthetic frequency dimension, can provide great experimental flexibility and reconfigurability. Construction of complex synthetic lattices, such as Lieb lattices and…

Inspired by fireflies, researchers create insect-scale robots that can emit light when they fly, which enables motion tracking and communication. Fireflies that light up dusky backyards on warm summer evenings use their luminescence for communication — to attract a mate, ward off predators, or lure prey. These glimmering bugs also sparked the inspiration of scientists at MIT. Taking a cue from nature, they built electroluminescent soft artificial muscles for flying, insect-scale robots. The tiny artificial muscles that control the robots’…

MIT engineers expand the capabilities of these ultrasensitive nanoscale detectors, with potential uses for quantum computing and biological sensing. Quantum sensors, which detect the most minute variations in magnetic or electrical fields, have enabled precision measurements in materials science and fundamental physics. But these sensors have only been capable of detecting a few specific frequencies of these fields, limiting their usefulness. Now, researchers at MIT have developed a method to enable such sensors to detect any arbitrary frequency, with no…

Physicists at The Australian National University (ANU) have developed tiny translucent slides capable of producing two very different images by manipulating the direction in which light travels through them. As light passes through the slide, an image of Australia can be seen, but when you flip the slide and look again, an image of the Sydney Opera House is visible. The pair of images created is just one example of an untapped number of possibilities. The ability to produce two…

Giant arsenals of unexploded ordinance are sitting on the ocean floor, lost in battle or dumped as waste. The risky job of detecting these underwater hazards is currently given to submarines specially fitted for the purpose. But even they cannot get to some of the tighter or harder to reach spots, forcing expert divers to go down and take over the often life-threatening work. A German research consortium including Fraunhofer IZM is now using a submarine robot that is as…