This could be forever… Thanks for a new design contributed by a research team led by Prof. ZHAO Peng from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the operation time for plasma torch was extended from several days to several years. “We made the world’s longest-lasting plasma torch,” said Prof. ZHAO. Plasma torches, devices that generate thermal plasma, are pivotal in various industries due to their ability to efficiently produce high-temperature plasma. It can be…

A new Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack targets application-layer protocols that draw on the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for end-to-end communication. ‘Application-layer Loop DoS Attacks’ pair servers of these protocols in such a way that they communicate with each other indefinitely. The vulnerability affects both legacy (e.g., QOTD, Chargen, Echo) and contemporary (e.g., DNS, NTP, and TFTP) protocols. Discovered by researchers of the CISPA Helmholtz-Center for Information Security, the attack puts an estimated 300,000 Internet hosts and their networks at risk. The…

Researchers created customizable arrays of waveguides to establish synthetic modal dimensions for effective control of light in photonic systems, with implications spanning from mode lasing to quantum optics and data transmission. In the realm of physics, synthetic dimensions (SDs) have emerged as one of the frontiers of active research, offering a pathway to explore phenomena in higher-dimensional spaces, beyond our conventional 3D geometrical space. The concept has garnered significant attention, especially in topological photonics, due to its potential to unlock…

The travelling salesman problem is considered a prime example of a combinatorial optimisation problem. Now a Berlin team led by theoretical physicist Prof. Dr. Jens Eisert of Freie Universität Berlin and HZB has shown that a certain class of such problems can actually be solved better and much faster with quantum computers than with conventional methods. The present work (arrow) shows that a certain part of the combinatorial problems can be solved much better with quantum computers, possibly even exactly….

A novel mixed light field technique that utilizes a mix of ray-controlled ambient lighting with projection mapping (PM) to obtain PM in bright surroundings has been developed by scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology. This innovative technology utilizes a novel kaleidoscope array to achieve ray-controlled lighting and a binary search algorithm for removing ambient lighting from PM targets. It provides an immersive augmented reality experience with applications in various fields. Projection mapping (PM) is a fascinating technology that provides an…

While computer chips are getting smaller and faster every year, one challenge remains unsolved: combining electronics and photonics on a single chip. Although components such as micro LEDs are available as individual chips and waveguides as tiny fibre optic cables, the materials required are too different for a harmonised chip. A new type of etching process could now be the decisive breakthrough for combining light sources and optical fibres. In the OptoGaN project, researchers from the TU Braunschweig and the…

Excavation of caverns part of Fermilab’s Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. With excavation work complete at the site where four gigantic particle detectors for the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will be installed, scientists are preparing to begin construction on first detector. Part of that work is taking place at The University of Texas at Arlington. Located a mile below the surface at the Sanford Underground Research Laboratory in Lead, South Dakota, the three colossal caverns serve as the core of a…

ANYmal has for some time had no problem coping with the stony terrain of Swiss hiking trails. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have taught this quadrupedal robot some new skills: it is proving rather adept at parkour, a sport based on using athletic manoeuvres to smoothly negotiate obstacles in an urban environment, which has become very popular. ANYmal is also proficient at dealing with the tricky terrain commonly found on building sites or in disaster areas. The quadrupedal robot Anymal…

In a recent publication in Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07094-9, researchers at the Max Born Institute (MBI) in Berlin, Germany, and at Max-Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching report on a new technique for deciphering the properties of matter with light, that can simultaneously detect and precisely quantify many substances with a high chemical selectivity. Their technique interrogates the atoms and molecules in the ultraviolet spectral region at very feeble light levels. Using two optical frequency combs and a photon counter, the…

Jefferson Lab accelerator physicists to partner with national lab, university and industry colleagues for development of compact SRF accelerators for industrial settings. Superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) technology allows particle accelerators to efficiently produce powerful electron beams. Physicists use these beams to study the building blocks of matter at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. But these research machines also have a promising list of industrial applications. Now, some researchers are figuring out how to get SRF accelerators…

…and use far less energy. UMass Amherst research demonstrates that a memristor device can solve complex scientific problems using significantly less energy, overcoming one of the major hurdles of digital computing. A team of researchers including University of Massachusetts Amherst engineers have proven that their analog computing device, called a memristor, can complete complex, scientific computing tasks while bypassing the limitations of digital computing. Many of today’s important scientific questions—from nanoscale material modeling to large-scale climate science—can be explored using…

Quantum cryptography across large distances. Through steady advances in the development of quantum computers and their ever-improving performance, it will be possible in the future to crack our current encryption processes. To address this challenge, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are participating in an international research consortium to develop encryption methods that will apply physical laws to prevent the interception of messages. To safeguard communications over long distances, the QUICK³ space mission will deploy satellites. How can…

Many children announce their arrival in the delivery room with a piercing cry. As a newborn automatically takes its first breath, the lungs inflate, the blood vessels in the lungs widen, and the whole circulatory system reconfigures itself to life outside the womb. This process doesn’t always go to plan, however. Some infants – particularly those who are very sick or born prematurely – suffer from pulmonary hypertension, a serious disorder in which the arteries to the lungs remain narrowed…

Thin film coating can be applied to magnesium alloys for aerospace and optics applications. Sometimes, seeing clearly requires complete black. For astronomy and precision optics, coating devices in black paint can cut down on stray light, enhancing images and boosting performance. For the most advanced telescopes and optical systems, every little bit matters, so their manufacturers seek out the blackest blacks to coat them. In the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University…

New collaboration with 10 industry partners toward commercialization. Institute for Molecular Science (hereinafter “the IMS”), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, has established a “Commercialization Preparatory Platform (PF)” to accelerate the development of novel quantum computers, based on the achievement of a research group led by Prof. Kenji Ohmori. The launch of the PF was made possible by collaboration with 10 industry partners, including companies and financial institutions. The 10 partners that joined the PF include (listed alphabetically): blueqat Inc., Development…

Launch of the project “CONDOR – Superconducting Spintronic Devices for Cryogenic Electronics”. The demand for electronics that operate at low temperatures is growing and becoming ever more important, especially for applications in the field of quantum computing technologies. This is the focus of the CONDOR project that was launched earlier this year. The Fraunhofer IPMS, Dresden and the Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics, Halle, are collaborating on innovative spin-based memory and logic components that operate at low temperatures. Electronics…