Science Daily November 1, 2021 New satellites are opening a new window into tectonic processes by allowing researchers to observe length and time scales that were not possible in the past. However, existing algorithms are not suited for the vast amount of InSAR data flowing in from these new satellites. To process all this data an international team of researchers (USA – Los Alamos National Laboratory, France) developed the first tool based on machine learning algorithms to extract ground deformation from InSAR data, which enables the detection of ground deformation automatically — without human intervention — at a global scale, […]
Magnetene: Graphene-like 2D material leverages quantum effects to achieve ultra-low friction
Phys.org November 17, 2021 Low-friction interfaces in 2D materials are often attributed to van der Waals (vdW) bonding of 2D materials, and nanoscale and quantum confinement effects can also act to modify the atomic interactions of a 2D material producing unique interfacial properties. An international team of researchers (Canada, USA – Rice University) has demonstrated low-friction behavior of magnetene, a non-vdW 2D material obtained via the exfoliation of magnetite, showing statistically similar friction to benchmark vdW 2D materials. They found that this low friction is due to 2D confinement effects of minimized potential energy surface corrugation, lowered valence states reducing […]
Molecular snakes become ladders – potential building blocks for electronics
Nanowerk November 16, 2021 It is challenging to increase the rigidity of a macromolecule while maintaining solubility. Researchers in Germany have introduced the concept of a molecular ladder. They first designed a precursor compound that contained only a single polymer chain and attached polymerizable groups – a flexible “snake.” For some of the material, the second rail of the ladder was then formed in a subsequent step by means of a zipper reaction. In addition to the polymer with a single conjugated rail, the team obtained a polymer with two conjugated rails – the stiff “ladder”. They constructed such a […]
A nanoantenna for long-distance, ultra-secure communication
Phys.org November 16, 2021 Converting photon-based information to electron-based information are highly inefficient. To increase the efficiency of converting single photons into single electrons in gallium arsenide quantum dots an international team of researchers (Japan, Germany) designed a nanoantenna, consisting of ultra-small concentric rings of gold, to focus light onto a single quantum dot. It resulted in a voltage readout from their device enhancing photon absorption by a factor of up to 9. After illuminating a single quantum dot, most of the photogenerated electrons weren’t trapped there, instead accumulated in impurities or other locations in the device. Nevertheless, these excess […]
New holographic camera sees the unseen with high precision
Science Daily November 17, 2021 A team of researchers in the US (Northwestern University, Southern Methodist University) has invented a new method called synthetic wavelength holography. By capturing the entire light field of an object in a hologram, it is possible to reconstruct the object’s three-dimensional shape in its entirety. They captured holographic imaging around a corner or through scatterers — with synthetic waves instead of normal light waves. From there, an algorithm reconstructed the scattered light signal to reveal the hidden objects. The system could rapidly capture full-field images of large areas with submillimeter precision. To eliminate the need […]
New material could be two superconductors in one
MIT News November 15, 2021 An international team of researchers (USA – MIT, Rutgers University, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Harvard University, Japan) synthesized layered superconductor Ba6Nb11S28. Instead of via one electron a superconductor carries charge by two electrons bound together in a Cooper pair. By applying an in-plane magnetic field, they observed an abrupt, partial suppression of diamagnetism below the upper critical magnetic field, which is suggestive of an emergent phase within the superconducting state. It turns out this kind of superconductor can be manipulated to form a variety of unusual patterns as Cooper pairs move between Landau levels. […]
New technique improves conversion of carbon dioxide into liquid fuels
Nanowerk November 17, 2021 A team of researchers in the US (UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) has improved the electrochemical reduction process for turning CO2 emissions into a fuel feedstock by developing a new approach to modify the surface of the copper catalysts used to assist the reaction. They applied a thin layer of Nafion and Sustainion, as well as a bilayer of both ionomers, to copper films supported by a polymer material, forming membranes that they could insert near one end of an electrochemical cell. For the two-layer case, they found that carbon-rich products accounted for 80% of […]
Stratospheric balloons listen in on ground activity
Phys.org November 16, 2021 Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and even severe weather events produce a medley of low-frequency infrasound waves below the range of human hearing. Infrasound waveforms generated by natural and anthropogenic phenomena contain important clues about the size and nature of the event. A team of researchers in the US (Sandia National Laboratory, Caltech) has shown that sensors on balloons in the lower stratosphere can record faithful representations of the near-source acoustic wave field at unprecedented range. The acoustic signature of a buried chemical explosion recorded at a range of 56 km and an altitude of 21.8 km was […]
Tiny chip provides a big boost in precision optics
Phys.org November 12, 2021 Based on a theory of weak value amplification with waveguides, a team of researchers in the US (University of Rochester, industry, Chapman University) has packaged an experimental way of amplifying interferometric signals—without a corresponding increase in noise —on a 1 mm by 1 mm integrated photonic chip. Weak value amplification is based on the quantum mechanics of light, and basically involves directing only certain photons that contain the information needed, to a detector. They distilled all of this and put it into a photonic chip. The device removes that limitation of traditional interferometers by reaching the […]
Ultra-thin film of magnetite optimized for spintronics
Phys.org November 17, 2021 Magnetite has physical properties which may make it useful for spintronics technology. However, it is difficult to fabricate magnetite with high crystallinity owing to the imperfection of the substrate surface. An international team of researchers (Japan, China) has developed a chemical polishing technique—known by its acronym CARE—to prepare an atomically flat and highly ordered magnesium oxide substrate. CARE treatment of the substrate enabled the thin film to undergo a temperature-dependent resistivity change—known as the Verwey transition—of a factor of 5.9. The results have important applications – quantum computing technologies may rely on spintronics to optimize logistical, […]