Is it possible to decode how we feel from our movements? How can emotions be studied “from the outside” by using empirical methods? To answer these questions, a large international and interdisciplinary research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, has developed an integrative scientific methodology. Using artistic and digital means such as motion capture technology, the researchers developed the EMOKINE software to measure the objective kinematic features of movements that…

In a study conducted at the University of São Paulo and described in Scientific Reports, the diameter of semiconductor quantum dots was monitored in real time via the wavelength of the emitted light. Luminescence refers to the result of a process in which an object absorbs light at one wavelength and then re-emits it at another wavelength. Through light absorption, electrons in the ground state of the material are excited to a higher energy state. After a certain amount of…

Is nature really as strange as quantum theory says – or are there simpler explanations? Neutron measurements at TU Wien prove: It doesn’t work without the strange properties of quantum theory. Can a particle be in two different places at the same time? In quantum physics, it can: Quantum theory allows objects to be in different states at the same time – or more precisely: in a superposition state, combining different observable states. But is this really the case? Perhaps…

Electrons have an intrinsic angular momentum, the so-called spin, which means that they can align themselves along a magnetic field, much like a compass needle. In addition to the electric charge of electrons, which determines their behaviour in electronic circuits, their spin is increasingly used for storing and processing data. Already now, one can buy MRAM memory elements (magnetic random access memories), in which information is stored in very small but still classical magnets – that is, containing very many…

In humankind’s ever-ticking pursuit of perfection, scientists have developed an atomic clock that is more precise and accurate than any clock previously created. The new clock was built by researchers at JILA, a joint institution of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder. Enabling pinpoint navigation in the vast expanse of space as well as searches for new particles, this clock is the latest to transcend mere timekeeping. With their increased precision, these…

Interaction with autonomous driving. Optimizing communication between vehicle and driver as a function of the degree of automation is the objective of a research project conducted by Fraunhofer in collaboration with other companies. The researchers are combining sensors for monitoring the vehicle interior with language models to form what are known as vision language models. They are designed to increase the convenience and safety of cars in the future. “Warning, if you keep reading now, you may become nauseous on…

Reducing semiconductor laser production costs by 1/6 with quantum dot lasers for optical communications. Using 6-inch substrates instead of 2-inch: time reduction and mass production achieved. South Korean researchers have successfully developed technology to mass-produce quantum dot lasers, widely used in data centers and quantum communications. This breakthrough paves the way for reducing the production cost of semiconductor lasers to one-sixth of the current cost. Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD). Credit: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute(ETRI) Electronics and Telecommunications Research…

Aston Institute of Photonic Research academics are part of a team that sent data at a rate of 402 terabits per second This beats their previous record of 301 terabits per second They constructed the first optical transmission system covering six wavelength bands. Aston University researchers are part of a team that has sent data at a record rate of 402 terabits per second using commercially available optical fibre. This beats their previous record, announced in March 2024, of 301…

When ultrafast electrons are deflected, they emit light – synchrotron radiation. This is used in so called storage rings in which magnets force the particles onto a closed path. This light is longitudinally incoherent and consists of a broad spectrum of wavelengths. Its high brilliance makes it an excellent tool for materials research. Monochromators can be used to pick out individual wavelengths from the spectrum, but this reduces the radiant power by many orders of magnitude to values of a…

Together with colleagues from Augsburg, Bonn, Cologne, Dresden, Geneva and Prince George (Canada), Professor Zhe Wang from the Department of Physics at TU Dortmund University has discovered an exotic quantum state of the matter in a solid-state compound – repulsively bound magnons. This observation is so spectacular for fundamental research in the field of quantum physics that it has been published in the renowned journal “Nature”. Atoms, molecules or solids that are formed by attractive forces between their constituents are…

Study shows Manipulation Possibilities. On behalf of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), experts from the IHP – Leibniz Institute for High Performance Microelectronics prepared the study “Analysis of Hardware Manipulations in Distributed Manufacturing Processes (PANDA)”. The result: Safety properties or functionality can be negatively affected in all sub-steps. IHP scientist Hon. Prof. Zoya Dyka shows the BSI employees where the mainboard of a laptop could be manipulated.(c) Franziska Wegner / IHP Hardware Trojans could become a threat….

In a single leap from tabletop to the microscale, engineers at Stanford have produced the world’s first practical titanium-sapphire laser on a chip, democratizing a once-exclusive technology. As lasers go, those made of Titanium-sapphire (Ti:sapphire) are considered to have “unmatched” performance. They are indispensable in many fields, including cutting-edge quantum optics, spectroscopy, and neuroscience. But that performance comes at a steep price. Ti:sapphire lasers are big, on the order of cubic feet in volume. They are expensive, costing hundreds of…

New FAMU-FSU research shows importance of precise topography in solid neon qubits. Quantum computers have the potential to be revolutionary tools for their ability to perform calculations that would take classical computers many years to resolve. But to make an effective quantum computer, you need a reliable quantum bit, or qubit, that can exist in a simultaneous 0 or 1 state for a sufficiently long period, known as its coherence time. One promising approach is trapping a single electron on…

Compression standard for haptics published. With the help of the new HCTI standard, sensations can be transmitted over the Internet. The tactile counterpart to JPEG, MP3 and MPEG was developed by a consortium led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM). HCTI can be used in tele-surgery, tele-driving or in the gaming industry. What JPEG, MP3 and MPEG are for images, audio and video, haptic codecs are for transmitting the sense of touch via the Internet. After eight years of…

North Carolina State University researchers have developed a kirigami-inspired mechanical computer that uses a complex structure of rigid, interconnected polymer cubes to store, retrieve and erase data without relying on electronic components. The system also includes a reversible feature that allows users to control when data editing is permitted and when data should be locked in place. Mechanical computers are computers that operate using mechanical components rather than electronic ones. Historically, these mechanical components have been things like levers or…

Experiment captures atoms in free fall to look for gravitational anomalies caused by universe’s missing energy. Dark energy — a mysterious force pushing the universe apart at an ever-increasing rate — was discovered 26 years ago, and ever since, scientists have been searching for a new and exotic particle causing the expansion. Pushing the boundaries of this search, University of California, Berkeley physicists have now built the most precise experiment yet to look for minor deviations from the accepted theory…