Fraunhofer IDMT is making an important contribution to the digitalization of the hospitality sector within the newly established Foodservice Digital Hub. September 2021 saw the launch of the innovation network “Foodservice Digital Hub”. Coordinated by the University of Leipzig, leading representatives of the sector are working hand in hand with innovative start-ups and research partners to develop viable future scenarios and digital prototypes. Fraunhofer IDMT from Oldenburg is contributing its know-how in the integration of speech recognition. The hospitality sector…

Optimum prevention, diagnosis and treatment in just one click. As part of the “MED²ICIN” lighthouse project, seven Fraunhofer Institutes are presenting the first prototype of a digital patient model. This prototype revolutionizes the very foundation of personalized and cost-optimized treatment, opening up new perspectives. It has already been tested at University Hospital Frankfurt. “This prototype of a digital patient model marks the start of a new era in patient treatment,” says Dr. Stefan Wesarg, Head of Competence Center Visual Healthcare…

When two galaxies collide, the supermassive black holes at their cores release a devastating gravitational “kick,” similar to the recoil from a shotgun. New research led by CU Boulder suggests that this kick may be so powerful it can knock millions of stars into wonky orbits. The research, published Oct. 29 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, helps solve a decades-old mystery surrounding a strangely-shaped cluster of stars at the heart of the Andromeda Galaxy. It might also help researchers better…

Acoustic manipulation of electron spins could lead to new methods of quantum control. The captured electrons typically absorb light in the visible spectrum, so that a transparent material becomes colored under the presence of such centers, for instance in diamond. “Color centers are often coming along with certain magnetic properties, making them promising systems for applications in quantum technologies, like quantum memories – the qubits – or quantum sensors. The challenge here is to develop efficient methods to control the…

Researchers resolve a long-standing challenge in quantum optics: optimal Bell-state measurement of time-bin encoded qubits, to enhance the key rate of secure quantum communication. Integrated quantum photonics (IQP) is a promising platform for realizing scalable and practical quantum information processing. Up to now, most of the demonstrations with IQP focus on improving the stability, quality, and complexity of experiments for traditional platforms based on bulk and fiber optical elements. A more demanding question is: “Are there experiments possible with IQP…

Ultrashort flashes of light combined precisely and quickly. Ultrashort flashes of light lasting less than a quadrillionth of a second are fast growing in technological importance. In laser sources, pairs and groups of light flashes can be created instead of individual flashes. Similar to the chemically bonded atoms in a molecule, they are coupled with each other and their short temporal intervals can possess remarkable stability. Researchers at the Universities of Bayreuth and Constance have now revealed a cause for…

Advances make high-density, 5D optical storage practical for long-term data archiving. Researchers have developed a fast and energy-efficient laser-writing method for producing high-density nanostructures in silica glass. These tiny structures can be used for long-term five-dimensional (5D) optical data storage that is more than 10,000 times denser than Blue-Ray optical disc storage technology. “Individuals and organizations are generating ever-larger datasets, creating the desperate need for more efficient forms of data storage with a high capacity, low energy consumption and long…

Research and sustainability, united through light. A research team of IMDEA Networks Institute has introduced Internet of Things (IoT) devices that communicate without any batteries and harvest energy and receive data through visible light. A team of researchers, led by Domenico Giustiniano, Research Associate Professor at IMDEA Networks Institute, Madrid, has presented important advances in the creation of sustainable wireless communication systems. This represents a new step towards making battery-free devices a reality, through the convergence of two emerging technologies: LiFi…

Leicester study of data captured in orbit around Jupiter has revealed new insights into what’s happening deep beneath the gas giant’s distinctive and colorful bands. Data from the microwave radiometer carried by NASA’s Juno spacecraft shows that Jupiter’s banded pattern extends deep below the clouds, and that the appearance of Jupiter’s belts and zones inverts near the base of the water clouds. Microwave light allows planetary scientists to gaze deep beneath Jupiter’s colourful clouds, to understand the weather and climate…

As humanity continues its exploration of the universe, the low-gravity environment of space presents unusual challenges for scientists and engineers. Researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have developed a new tool to help meet that challenge — a novel design for a low-gravity simulator that promises to break new ground for future space research and habitation. Their new design for a magnetic levitation-based low-gravity simulator can create an area…

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have uncovered a striking new behavior of the ‘strange metal’ state of high temperature superconductors. The discovery represents an important piece of the puzzle for understanding these materials, and the findings have been published in the highly prestigious journal Science. Superconductivity, where an electric current is transported without any losses, holds enormous potential for green technologies. For example, if it could be made to work at high enough temperatures, it could allow for…

In a rare glimpse at such an object, astronomers discovered a structure thought to be a “protocluster” of galaxies on its way to developing into a galaxy supercluster. Even galaxies don’t like to be alone. While astronomers have known for a while that galaxies tend to congregate in groups and clusters, the process of going from formation to friend groups has remained an open question in cosmology. In a paper published in the Astronomy & Astrophysics Journal, an international team of astronomers…

Metasurface-tailored spintronic terahertz emitters allow efficient, flexible generation and manipulation of chiral terahertz waves. Terahertz radiation, between infrared and microwave radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum, possesses unique advantages for fundamental studies and practical applications. The ability to generate and manipulate broadband chiral terahertz waves is essential for applications in material imaging, terahertz sensing, and medical diagnosis. It can also open up new possibilities for nonlinear terahertz spectroscopy, as well as coherent control of chiral molecules and magnetic materials, which could…

Physicists demonstrate a dynamical one-parameter scaling, originally found in surface growth physics, in disordered quantum systems. In physics, “universality” refers to properties of systems that are independent of their details. Establishing the universality of quantum dynamics is one of the key interests of theoretical physicists. Now, researchers from Japan have identified such a universality in disordered quantum systems, characterized by a one-parameter scaling for surface roughness and entanglement entropy (a measure of quantum entanglement). Many-particle systems in the real world…

A novel topological edge soliton, developed for nonlinear photorefractive lattices, enables robust light beams promising for photonic technology. Diffraction is a natural property of light beams. It allows light to bend around obstacles. Because light serves as a carrier of information, some of the distorting effects of diffraction must be mitigated for many technological applications. Topological insulators, first unveiled in condensed matter physics, have attracted interest for over a decade. A photonic topological insulator can help ensure consistent propagation of…

Toshiba develops world’s first QKD system based on quantum transmitter, receiver and random number generator chips; Quantum chips manufactured using standard semiconductor processes; Significant advance towards mass deployment of quantum communications. Toshiba Europe Ltd today announced it has developed the world’s first chip-based quantum key distribution (QKD) system. This advance will enable the mass manufacture of quantum security technology, bringing its application to a much wider range of scenarios including to Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. QKD addresses the demand…