Researchers at Osaka University fabricate a protective nanoscale barrier of structured silica between a metal layer and analyte molecules, which leads to enhanced fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy for highly sensitive biosensing. While we might picture a biologist as a researcher hunched over a light microscope, carefully scrutinizing a single bacterium, modern scientists have more powerful instruments at their disposal to investigate, at much smaller scales, the internal structures of living cells. Fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy have become indispensable tools for…

For the first time, EPFL researchers have exclusively observed molecules participating in hydrogen bonds in liquid water, measuring electronic and nuclear quantum effects that were previously accessible only via theoretical simulations. Water is synonymous with life, but the dynamic, multifaceted interaction that brings H2O molecules together – the hydrogen bond – remains mysterious. Hydrogen bonds result when hydrogen and oxygen atoms between water molecules interact, sharing electronic charge in the process. This charge-sharing is a key feature of the three-dimensional…

Replacing organic solvents with molten salt lets researchers grow “previously unimaginable nanocrystals”. The type of semiconductive nanocrystals known as quantum dots are both expanding the forefront of pure science and also hard at work in practical applications including lasers, quantum QLED televisions and displays, solar cells, medical devices, and other electronics. A new technique for growing these microscopic crystals, published this week in Science, has not only found a new, more efficient way to build a useful type of quantum…

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) imaging instruments on three sun-orbiting observatories have captured sequences of comet C/2023 A3, known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, as it passed between the Earth and the Sun during the beginning of October 2024. The comet, discovered in 2023, traversed the field of view of NRL’s Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) telescope between Oct. 7-11. After the nucleus itself had left the scene, its massive dust trail remained visible for several days. LASCO has operated on the…

New photonic processor offers promising solution to complex computational problems. As technology advances, the limitations of conventional electronic computers are becoming increasingly apparent, especially when tackling complex computational challenges. NP-complete problems, which grow exponentially with size, represent some of the toughest puzzles in computer science. These issues have significant implications across various fields, including biomedicine, transportation, and manufacturing. In the quest for more effective solutions, researchers are exploring alternatives to traditional computing methods, with optical computing emerging as a promising…

Scientists successfully increase the measurement rate of Raman spectroscopy, a widely used technique for identifying molecules. Researchers Takuma Nakamura, Kazuki Hashimoto, and Takuro Ideguchi of the Institute for Photon Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo have increased by a 100-fold the measurement rate of Raman spectroscopy, a common technique for measuring the “vibrational fingerprint” of molecules in order to identify them. As the measurement rate has been a major limiting factor, this improvement contributes to advancements in many…

… paves the way to solving the proteome. The new data-driven technique gives scientists a way to accurately measure the mass of individual proteins using nanoscale devices. Caltech scientists have developed a method driven by machine learning that allows them to accurately measure the mass of individual particles and molecules using complex nanoscale devices. The new technique opens the possibility of using a variety of devices for the measurement of mass and, therefore, the identification of proteins, and could pave…

NASA has revealed the first look at a full-scale prototype for six telescopes that will enable, in the next decade, the space-based detection of gravitational waves — ripples in space-time caused by merging black holes and other cosmic sources. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission is led by ESA (European Space Agency) in partnership with NASA to detect gravitational waves by using lasers to measure precise distances — down to picometers, or trillionths of a meter — between a trio of…

Nanoscale spinning circles of magnetism may find broad application in microelectronic storage devices, quantum computing, and more. A difficult-to-describe nanoscale object called the magnetic skyrmion might one day yield new microelectronic devices that can do much more — for example, massive data storage — all while consuming much less power. But researchers need a more detailed understanding of skyrmions if they are ever to be used reliably in computational devices, including quantum computers. Peter Fischer, a senior researcher at the…

Nursing care robots, autonomous driving, digital twins: all of these high-tech applications will play an essential role for the new 6G mobile communications standard. The first commercial 6G networks are expected to be available as of 2030. In the 6G-life and 6G Future Lab Bavaria initiatives, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and TU Dresden are already testing and developing the fundamental mechanisms of the sixth mobile communications generation. One goal is to establish a complete communications system…

An innovative all-of-computing approach offers the potential for sustainable cloud computing applications to address urgent energy needs. Some computing challenges are so big that it’s necessary to go all in. That’s the approach a diverse team of scientists and computing experts led by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, along with colleagues from Microsoft and other national laboratories and universities, are taking to democratize access to emerging cloud computing resources. The effort, outlined in a recent peer-reviewed journal…

Quantum defects have the potential to act as ultra-sensitive sensors that could offer new kinds of navigation or biological sensor technology. One type of these defect systems, nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamonds, can measure nanoscale magnetic fields. But while scientists can control the quantum spin of these centers — single defects in the diamond, where nitrogen has replaced the carbon — they still do not have a full understanding of how to best isolate that spin from the spins…

New photonic computing method uses electromagnetic waves to solve partial differential equations rapidly. In the fields of physics, mathematics, and engineering, partial differential equations (PDEs) are essential for modeling various phenomena, from heat diffusion to particle motion and wave propagation. While some PDEs can be solved analytically, many require numerical methods, which can be time-consuming and computationally intensive. To address these challenges, scientists have been exploring alternative computing paradigms, including photonic computing. Photonic computing leverages light–matter interactions to perform high-speed…

Neuroscientists show how fine motor skills of neural prostheses can be improved. Researchers at the German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen have developed a novel training protocol for brain-computer interfaces in a study with rhesus monkeys. The method enables precise control of prosthetic hands using signals from the brain alone. For the first time, researchers were able to show that the neural signals that control the different hand postures in the brain are primarily important…

The TUM and the Pfennigparade Foundation have started a three-year research collaboration. The research will focus on the potential of robotics and AI-based technologies to help people with motor disabilities in their daily lives. The research collaboration has received approval from the TUM Ethics Committee. Robotics and AI researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) will work with physically impaired and disabled people from the Pfennigparade Foundation in the future. Over the next three years, the aim is to…

Breakthrough non-invasive technology for imaging through scattering media. Researchers introduce image-guided computational holographic wavefront shaping, offering fast and versatile solutions for complex imaging challenges. New study introduces a novel computational holography-based method that enables high-resolution, non-invasive imaging through highly scattering media, without the need for traditional tools like guide stars or spatial light modulators. By leveraging computational optimization, the method drastically reduces the number of measurements required and corrects over 190,000 scattered modes using just 25 holographic frames. This innovation…