Part chemist, part physicist and 100% researcher, Niéli Daffé is interested in materials that change colour or magnetism when illuminated. She studies them using X-rays in her SNSF-supported research. From the very first questions, Niéli Daffé’s frank laughter echoes in the small café corner of the library at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Aargau. “It’s true that being a physics researcher sometimes scares people,” she laughs. However, for this expert in magnetic nanosized materials, her job is just like…

Small satellites that find and collect space debris: Mohamed Khalil Ben-Larbi is working towards this goal. He is the new Professor of Space Informatics and Satellite Systems at the University of Würzburg. Humanity also leaves its rubbish in space: discarded satellites and debris orbit the earth in large numbers. There are an estimated 26,000 debris objects larger than ten centimetres. There are also millions of smaller pieces. And because new satellites are always being built, the population of space debris…

ISTA researchers investigate why graph isomorphism algorithms seem to be so effective. Graphs are everywhere. In discrete mathematics, they are structures that show the connections between points, much like a public transportation network. Mathematicians have long sought to develop algorithms that can compare any two graphs. In practice, many algorithms seem always to work efficiently. But in theory, there is no guarantee. In a new arXiv preprint, researchers from the Kwan Group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria…

In case you’re scratching your head, we help break it down. Using muon spin rotation at the Swiss Muon Source SmS, researchers at PSI have discovered that a quantum phenomenon known as time-reversal symmetry breaking occurs at the surface of the Kagome superconductor RbV₃Sb₅ at temperatures as high as 175 K. This sets a new record for the temperature at which time-reversal symmetry breaking is observed among Kagome systems. Excuse me, what? Yes, you read that right: -98 degrees Celsius….

Researchers are perfecting processes to grow high-quality diamond material reliably and efficiently. Researchers are developing new ideas about the best ways to make lab-grown diamonds while minimizing other forms of carbon, such as soot. These diamonds aren’t destined for rings and necklaces, though. These are the kinds that are needed for the computers, optics and sensors of the future. One new study, conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University, investigated ways to reliably…

In the 1997 movie “Contact,” adapted from Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel, the lead character scientist Ellie Arroway (played by actor Jodi Foster) takes a space-alien-built wormhole ride to the star Vega. She emerges inside a snowstorm of debris encircling the star — but no obvious planets are visible. It looks like the filmmakers got it right. A team of astronomers at the University of Arizona, Tucson used NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes for an unprecedented in-depth look at…

TU researchers enable better protection for sending sensitive information. In today’s digital landscape, ensuring the privacy of online communications is more critical than ever, especially in professions that rely on confidentiality, such as law or politics. Two research groups from the Profile Topic Cybersecurity and Privacy at TU Darmstadt have developed EMC² (Encrypted Multi-Channel Communication), a method that enhances the security of sensitive messages by distributing trust across several existing communication channels. The team’s approach addresses the limitations of current…

Researchers discover new magnetic and electronic properties in kagome magnet thin films. A discovery by Rice University physicists and collaborators is unlocking a new understanding of magnetism and electronic interactions in cutting-edge materials, potentially revolutionizing technology fields such as quantum computing and high-temperature superconductors. Led by Zheng Ren and Ming Yi, the research team’s study on iron-tin (FeSn) thin films reshapes scientific understanding of kagome magnets — materials named after an ancient basket-weaving pattern and structured in a unique, latticelike…

NASA’s Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) is ready to launch to the International Space Station to reveal new details about the solar wind including its origin and its evolution. Launching in November 2024 aboard SpaceX’s 31st commercial resupply services mission, CODEX will be robotically installed on the exterior of the space station. As a solar coronagraph, CODEX will block out the bright light from the Sun’s surface to better see details in the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona. “The CODEX instrument is a new generation…

– Wireless Aggregation of Health Data. Health data, distributed across various applications, could be unified in a digital medical twin: This is how doctors could improve patient care with the future mobile communication standard 6G. Researchers from RPTU and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) are examining the necessary infrastructure. They are developing a functional demonstrator that fuses various sensors using mobile communication and a unified communication standard, making measurement data accessible at a glance. They will present…

Large-scale optical programmable logic array can execute complex models like Conway’s Game of Life, marking a significant advancement in optical computing. Researchers have long sought to harness the power of light for computing, aiming to achieve higher speeds and lower energy consumption compared to traditional electronic systems. Optical computing, which uses light instead of electricity to perform calculations, promises significant advantages, including high parallelism and efficiency. However, implementing complex logic operations optically has been a challenge, limiting the practical applications…

UCLA researchers developed unidirectional imaging technology, a crucial capability for applications requiring asymmetric visual information processing and optical communication. Traditional imaging systems are bidirectional—if I can see you, you can also see me. Researchers at UCLA recently developed a new type of imaging technology that could revolutionize how we capture and process visual information: unidirectional imaging. By allowing images to be formed in only one direction, this technology provides an efficient and compact method for asymmetric visual information processing and…

In space exploration, long-distance optical links can now be used to transmit images, films and data from space probes to Earth using light. But in order for the signals to reach all the way and not be disturbed along the way, hypersensitive receivers and noise-free amplifiers are required. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have created a system that, with a silent amplifier and record-sensitive receiver, paves the way for faster and improved space communication. Space communication…

New methods enable complex calculations to be completed extremely quickly. For the first time ever, scientists at Paderborn University have used high-performance computing (HPC) at large scales to analyse a quantum photonics experiment. In specific terms, this involved the tomographic reconstruction of experimental data from a quantum detector. This is a device that measures individual photons, i.e. light particles. The researchers involved developed new HPC software to achieve this. Their findings have now been published in the specialist journal ‘Quantum…

… in thunderstorm cloud-top corona discharges. A team of researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), led by Professors LEI Jiuhou, ZHU Baoyou, and Associate Professor LIU Feifan, has made significant strides in understanding the mechanisms behind corona discharges at thunderstorm cloud tops, a phenomenon that plays a critical role in the Earth’s atmospheric chemistry. Their findings, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications on August 26, introduce a new conceptual model that could reshape our…

Lower cooling requirements, longer operating times, lower error rates: Quantum computers based on spin photons and diamond promise significant advantages over competing quantum computing technologies. The consortium of the BMBF project SPINNING coordinated by Fraunhofer IAF has succeeded in decisively advancing the development of spin-photon-based quantum computers. On October 22 and 23, 2024, the partners presented the interim project results at the mid-term meeting of the BMBF funding measure Quantum Computer Demonstration Setups in Berlin. Solving complex problems in seconds…