Science Daily September 7, 2021 Using colloidal gels of fullerite C60 and C70 nanocrystals researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed superhydrophobic films and coatings. They demonstrated that despite the high surface energy of these van der Waals molecular crystals their gelation can create films having self-affine fractal surfaces with multiscale roughness. In experiments when submerged in water the material stayed dry up to 3 h even at a water depth of two feet and exhibit the plastron effect. According to the researchers non-wettable films of such materials are unique as fullerites get photosensitized instantaneously generating extremely high […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of September 03, 2021
01. Nanoscale systems for generating various forms of light 02. Discovery of two-phase superconductivity in CeRh2As2 03. Exploring quantum correlations of classical light source for image transmission 04. Light-induced shape shifting of MXenes 05. New family of ferroelectric materials raises possibilities for improved information and energy storage 06. Novel physics gives rise to the highest coherence for microscopic lasers 07. Physicists mix classical light with half a photon on a qubit 08. Quantum emitters: Beyond crystal clear to single-photon pure 09. Quantum networks in our future 10. Researchers develop novel analog processor for high performance computing And others… ‘Charging room’ […]
Quantum networks in our future
Science Daily August 31, 2021 While components of the quantum Internet are under development, the control plane remains undefined. An international team of researchers (Canada, USA – industry) outline their vision for a software-defined quantum network that enables a flexible experimental platform for developing quantum applications for industry. The quantum Internet, like the classical Internet, will be a network of networks. Operation of an industrial quantum network is viewed as a networked control problem, and they propose a time-sensitive network control plane to enable a quantum software-defined network. Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution is used as an example implementation since it […]
‘Charging room’ system powers lights, phones, laptops without wires
Science Daily August 30, 2021 An international team of researchers (Japan, USA – University of Michigan) has shown that multimode quasistatic cavity resonance can provide room-scale wireless power transfer. The approach uses multidirectional, widely distributed currents on conductive surfaces that are placed around the target volume. It generates multiple, mutually unique, three-dimensional magnetic field patterns. They demonstrated the technology in a purpose-built aluminum test room measuring approximately 10 feet by 10 feet. They wirelessly powered lamps, fans and cell phones that could draw current from anywhere in the room regardless of the placement of people and furniture. Devices harness the […]
China wants to build a spaceship that’s kilometers long
Phys.org September 1, 2021 Among the many proposals the country’s leaders are considering for its latest five-year plan, one involved creating an ultra-large spacecraft spanning kilometers. According to the project outline the spacecraft elements will be built on Earth and then launched individually to orbit to be assembled in space. They specify that this spacecraft will be a major strategic aerospace equipment for the future use of space resources, exploration of the mysteries of the universe and staying in long-term. There is a great deal of skepticism about this proposal. It would take an enormous number of launches to deploy […]
Discovery of two-phase superconductivity in CeRh2As2
Science Daily August 26, 2021 Although tens of unconventional superconductors have been discovered in the past half century, there was good thermodynamic evidence of more than one superconducting phase in only one or two materials. An international team of researchers (Germany, New Zealand, UK) used thermodynamic probes to establish two-phase superconductivity in CeRh2As2. Both materials have the highest critical magnetic field to superconducting transition temperature ratio of any known superconductor. The findings can be expected to generate entirely new research directions…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Exploring quantum correlations of classical light source for image transmission
Phys.org August 31, 2021 Researchers in China formulated a density matrix to fully describe two-photon state within a thermal light source in the photon orbital angular momentum (OAM) Hilbert space. They proved the separability, i.e., zero entanglement of the thermal two-photon state. Still, they revealed the hidden quantum correlations in terms of geometric measures of discord. By mimicking the original protocol of quantum teleportation, they demonstrated that the non-zero quantum discord can be utilized to transmit a high-dimensional OAM state at the single-photon level. It was found that the information of all parameters that characterize the original state can still […]
Light-induced shape shifting of MXenes
Phys.org September 1, 2021 MXenes are two-dimensional sheets of transition metal carbides or nitrides in the form of few-atom-thick single layers. An international team of researchers (Germany, Switzerland) has found a new way to enhance the properties of MXenes by shining fast light pulses on them. Using ultrafast electron microscopy with atomic spatial resolution they showed that the laser energy transfers to the atomic lattice in a record-breaking time of merely 230 femtoseconds. They also found that femtosecond laser light can be used to switch back and forth between the originally flat surface structure of the MXene and a nano-wave […]
Nanoscale systems for generating various forms of light
Science Daily August 30, 2021 Stimulated by experimental work in the possibility of preserving nonclassical correlations in light-matter interactions mediated by scattering of photons and plasmons, it has been assumed that similar dynamics underlie the conservation of the quantum fluctuations that define the nature of light sources. An international team of researchers (Usa – State University of Louisiana, University of Alabama, Mexico) demonstrated that the quantum statistics of multiparticle systems are not always preserved in plasmonic platforms and report the observation of their modification. They showed that optical near fields provide additional scattering paths that can induce complex multiparticle interactions. […]
New approach creates an exceptional single-atom catalyst for water splitting
Phys.org September 1, 2021 Electrolysis could produce fuels and chemical feedstocks more sustainably and reduce the use of fossil fuels. But the sluggish pace of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has been a bottleneck to improving its efficiency. A team of researchers in the US (Stanford University SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC Berkeley, NIST) used operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements to demonstrate that the origin of water oxidation activity of IrNiFe SACs is the presence of highly oxidized Ir single atom in the NiFe oxyhydroxide under operating conditions. They showed that the optimal water oxidation catalyst could […]