Nanowerk July 8, 2021 Making usable quantum technologies out of rare-earth compounds has remained a challenge because they contain critically radioactive compounds rendering them of limited use in real-world quantum technologies. An international team of researchers (Switzerland, Finland) used the sub-nanometre thickness of graphene to create heavy fermions. By layering thin sheets of carbon on top of one another in a specific pattern, where each sheet is rotated in relation to the other, it is possible to create the quantum properties effect that results in the electrons in the graphene behaving like heavy fermions. While in this work they showed the […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of July 2, 2021
01. ‘Edge of chaos’ opens pathway to artificial intelligence discoveries 02. Backscatter breakthrough runs near-zero-power IoT communicators at 5G speeds everywhere 03. A crystal made of electrons 04. A new piece of the quantum computing puzzle 05. Non-stop signal achieved in high-power Erbium-doped mid-infrared lasers 06. Optical superoscillation without side waves 07. Optical tweezer technology tweaked to overcome dangers of heat 08. The world’s thinnest technology—only two atoms thick 09. Classic magic trick may enable quantum computing 10. Researchers discover unique ‘spider web’ mechanism that traps, kills viruses And others… Growing ‘metallic wood’ to new heights NSF-funded study will examine […]
Backscatter breakthrough runs near-zero-power IoT communicators at 5G speeds everywhere
Science Daily June 25, 2021 Backscatter radio is typically limited to data rates of hundreds of megabits per second because of the low frequency bands used and the modulation techniques involved. An international team of researchers (USA – industry, Georgia Institute of Technology, UK) designed and demonstrated a millimetre-wave modulator and antenna array for backscatter communications at gigabit data rates. It consists of a microstrip patch antenna array and a single pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor that supports a range of modulation formats including binary phase shift keying, quadrature phase shift keying and quadrature amplitude modulation. The circuit is additively manufactured with […]
Classic magic trick may enable quantum computing
Phys.org June 22, 2021 In a proof of principle experiment researchers at the DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility are preparing to trap and levitate particles inside a cavity using an electric field. Intrinsic characteristics of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities will overcome some limits of laser trapping. If they can levitate a particle, they might be able to impart a quantum state on it by cooling the trapped particle to its lowest possible energy level. A levitated particle in an SRF cavity that is under vacuum and chilled to super cold temperatures will only interact with the cavity’s electric field […]
A crystal made of electrons
Phys.org July 1, 2021 An international team of researchers (Switzerland, USA – Harvard University, Germany, Japan) has succeeded in observing Wigner crystals which consist of only electrons predicted almost ninety years ago. The team used optical spectroscopy to demonstrate that electrons in a monolayer semiconductor with density lower than 3 × 1011 per centimetre squared. The combination of a high electron effective mass and reduced dielectric screening enabled them to observe electronic charge order even in the absence of a moiré potential or an external magnetic field. The findings demonstrate that charge-tunable transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers enable the investigation of […]
‘Edge of chaos’ opens pathway to artificial intelligence discoveries
Phys.org June 29, 2021 An international team of researchers (Australia, Japan) discovered that on the neuromorphic dynamics of nanowire networks (NWNs), a unique brain-inspired system with synapse-like memristive junctions embedded within a recurrent neural network-like structure. Through simulation and experiment they elucidated how collective memristive switching gives rise to long-range transport pathways, drastically altering the network’s global state via a discontinuous phase transition. The spatio-temporal properties of switching dynamics are found to be consistent with avalanches displaying power-law size and life-time distributions, with exponents obeying the crackling noise relationship, thus satisfying criteria for criticality, as observed in cortical neuronal cultures. […]
Growing ‘metallic wood’ to new heights
Phys.org June 29, 2021 Nanolattices exhibit attractive mechanical, energy conversion and optical properties, but it is challenging to fabricate large nanolattices while maintaining the dense regular nanometre features that enable their properties. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania developed a crack-free self-assembly approach for fabricating centimetre-scale nickel nanolattices with much larger crack-free areas. The nanolattices have a feature size of 100 nm, a grain size of 30 nm and a tensile strength of 260 MPa, which approaches the theoretical strength limit for porous nickel. The work may advance the fabrication and applications of high-strength multifunctional porous materials…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
A new piece of the quantum computing puzzle
Phys.og June 29, 2021 The challenge in optical quantum information processing has been the realization of two-qubit gates for photonic qubits due to the lack of highly efficient optical Kerr nonlinearities at the single-photon level. A team of researchers in the US (Washington University, University of Michigan) found that a high-fidelity frequency-encoded deterministic two-photon controlled-phase gate can be achieved by exploiting the strong photon-photon correlation enabled by photonic dimers, and the unique nonreciprocal photonic propagation in chiral quantum nanophotonic systems. They are testing the design to show that it can operate under moderate conditions. According to the researchers so far […]
Non-stop signal achieved in high-power Erbium-doped mid-infrared lasers
Phys.org July 1, 2021 Based on their previous research work on laser, researchers in China further improved the laser performance of Er:YAP laser crystal by laser-diode side-pumping method. A Er:YAP crystal rod with concave end-faces was used to compensate the thermal lensing effect. They achieved maximum output power of 26.75 W at 250 Hz, and 13.18 W at 1000 Hz. They demonstrated a LD side-pumped and electro-optical Q-switched Er,Pr:YAP laser with emission at 2.7 μm. A giant pulse laser was obtained with pulse energy of 20.5 mJ, pulse width of 61.4 ns, and peak power of 0.33 MW at the […]
NSF-funded study will examine college tenure and promotion process, challenge assumptions
EurekAlert June 30, 2021 At the core of the college tenure and promotion system is the notion that those who are the most deserving are promoted. But, is that truly the case? In a 3-year study sponsored by NSF, a team of researchers in the US (University of Houston, Hampton University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, University of Alabama, Louisiana State University, Texas A&M University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Rice University) is examining the college tenure and promotion process in academic careers in STEM and challenge some basic assumptions regarding merit as the sole driving force. They posit that candidate […]