Phys.org June 21, 2021 Currently, there is a large gap in the predictions of tsunamis based on simplified models that consider the field complexity but do not capture the physics of the landslide as it enters the water. An international team of researchers (France, USA – UC Santa Barbara) measured the volume of a granular material and released it, causing it to collapse into a long, narrow channel filled with water. They found that while the density and diameter of the grains within a landslide had little effect on the amplitude of the wave, the total volume of the grains […]
Researchers propose the use of quantum cascade lasers to achieve private free-space communications
Phys.org June 22, 2021 An international team of researchers (France, Germany, USA – UCLA, University of New-Mexico) shows that two uni-directionally coupled quantum cascade lasers operating in the chaotic regime and the synchronization between them allow for the extraction of the information that has been camouflaged in the chaotic emission. This building block represents a key tool to implement a high degree of privacy directly on the physical layer. The team has built a proof-of-concept communication at a wavelength of 5.7 μm with a message encryption at a bit rate of 0.5 Mbit/s. Their demonstration of private free-space communication between […]
Sound-induced electric fields control the tiniest particles
EurekAlert June 22, 2021 Precisely controlling nanoparticles is a crucial ability for many emerging technologies. Researchers at Duke University used sound waves to create electric fields that provide the push. The new acoustoelectronic tweezer approach works by placing a piezoelectric substrate beneath a small chamber filled with liquid. Four transducers are aligned on the chamber’s sides, which send sound waves into the piezoelectric substrate. These sound waves bounce around and interact with one another to create a stable pattern and create electrical fields which dynamically alternate between positive and negative charges polarizing the nanoparticles in liquid, which serves as a […]
Using satellite data to warn people about volcanic eruptions
Phys.org June 21, 2021 Volcano monitoring of gas emissions provides insights into when explosions are likely to happen and unravel processes driving eruptions. An international team of researchers (UK, New Zealand) obtained data from the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite, which had passed over Whakaari, New Zealand, shortly after it began erupting. By applying an algorithm to the data, they were able to reconstruct the events that had led to the volcano erupting. They found that SO2 flux and plume height data retrieved from TROPOMI satellite imagery before, during, and after the eruption showed that SO2 was detected without explosive activity on […]
Which areas will climate change render uninhabitable? Climate models alone cannot say
Phys.org June 18, 2021 Most habitability assessments, like climate risk assessments more generally, are based on “top-down” approaches that apply quantitative models using uniform methodologies and generalizable assumptions at global and regional scales. According to a team of researchers in the US (Columbia University, Oregon State University, Princeton University) there is a risk that such climate determinism minimizes the potential for human agency to find creative, locally appropriate solutions. Although top-down modeling can serve a useful purpose in identifying potential future “hot spots” for habitability decline and potential outmigration, only by integrating “bottom-up” insights related to place-based physical systems and […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of June 18, 2021
01. Combining classical and quantum computing opens door to new discoveries 02. New advanced material shows extraordinary stability over wide temperature range 03. Scientists demonstrate perfect light absorption by single nanoparticle 04. Scientists make highly maneuverable miniature robots controlled by magnetic fields 05. Researchers uncover unique properties of a promising new superconductor 06. In a nano-optics breakthrough, researchers observe sound-light pulses in 2D materials (w/video) 07. Using ‘smart rust’ to mark objects unambiguously and tackle counterfeiting 08. Let there be light! New tech allows people to see in the dark 09. Bending light for safer driving; invisibility cloaks to come? […]
Bending light for safer driving; invisibility cloaks to come?
Nanowerk June 15, 2021 Perfect optical cloaking requires the total scattering of electromagnetic waves around an object at all angles, all polarizations, over a wide frequency range, irrespective of the medium. By simplifying the invisibility requirements, pioneering work on spherical transformation cloaks, carpet cloaks, plasmonic cloaks, and mantle cloaks has been realized in narrowband microwave, infrared, and even optical wavelengths. In a tutorial a team of researchers in the US (University of Michigan, industry) review the theoretical basis for invisibility cloaking, from spherical transformational optics to non-Euclidian cases, and discuss their limitations. Because the human eye is insensitive to the […]
Cameras and telescopes as thin as a sheet of paper?
Nanowerk June 10, 2021 Metalenses promise to make imaging devices more compact. An international team of researchers (Canada, USA – University of Rochester) has addressed the space between the lenses which is crucial for image formation but takes up by far the most room in imaging systems, by introducing the idea of a spaceplate. They experimentally demonstrated that it is compatible with broadband light in the visible spectrum. They manipulated light based on the angle rather than the position of a light ray. Angle is a completely novel domain. They designed and experimentally demonstrated plates that compressed the space. Such […]
Combining classical and quantum computing opens door to new discoveries
Science Daily June 15, 2021 Variational quantum eigensolvers (VQEs) combine classical optimization with efficient cost function evaluations on quantum computers. An international team of researcher (Canada, Austria, Germany) proposed a new approach to VQEs using the principles of measurement-based quantum computation. This strategy uses entangled resource states and local measurements. They have presented two measurement based VQE schemes. The first introduces a new approach for constructing variational families. The second provides a translation of circuit to measurement-based schemes. Both schemes offer problem-specific advantages in terms of the required resources and coherence times. The algorithm offers high error tolerance, often an […]
Electrohydraulic arachno-bot a fascinating lightweight
EurekAlert June 16, 2021 Researchers at the University of Colorado exploited the principles of spiders’ joints to drive articulated robots without any bulky components and connectors. The Electrohydraulic Soft-actuated joints (SES) joints comprised of both rigid and softer elements can be used in many different configurations. The joints use electrostatic forces to locally pressurize a hydraulic fluid, and cause flexion of a segmented structure. SES joints with rotation angles up to 70° blocked torques up to 70 mN m, and specific torques up to 21 N m kg−1 have been demonstrated. SES joints demonstrated high speed operation, with measured roll-off […]