EurekAlert April 8, 2021 Researchers at Purdue University used composite based nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs) as complete high-power microwave systems, encompassing high-voltage pulse and high-power microwave formation. The device combines the elements of traditional NLTLs into a composite-based system and eliminates typical bulky auxiliary equipment. The system is charged using a DC high-voltage supply and discharged using a high-voltage, gas-based switch. It eliminates the need for external pulse generation and is more rugged due to the solid-state construction. NLTLs have proven effective for applications in the defense and biomedical fields. They create directed high-power microwaves that can be used to […]
Anti-reflective films: What high-tech can learn from plants
EurekAlert April 13, 2021 Rose petals have a matt and at the same time rich color. The outer tissue of its petals, the epidermis, consists of densely packed microstructures, additionally ribbed by nanostructures. With these structures, the rose manages to couple all incident light into the cells – only the colored light escapes again. Researchers in Germany combined micro- and nanostructure to develop an anti-reflective film that replicates the epidermis of rose petals. The film increases the yield of solar modules by up to ten percent. Posters, display panels, traffic signs, furniture, packaging, facades, and many other applications also benefit […]
Can We Automate Scientific Reviewing?
Arxiv.org April 8, 2021 The number of scientific papers generated has skyrocketed. Providing high-quality reviews of this growing number of papers is a significant challenge. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University discuss the possibility of using state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) models to generate first-pass peer reviews for scientific papers. They collected a dataset of papers in the machine learning domain, annotated them with different aspects of content covered in each review, and trained targeted summarization models that take in papers to generate reviews. The results showed that system-generated reviews tend to touch upon more aspects of the paper than human-written […]
Counting single photons at unprecedented rates
Phys.org April 13, 2021 Researchers at NIST have demonstrated a method that allows a high-efficiency single-photon-avalanche diode (SPAD) with a thick absorption region to count single photons at rates significantly higher than previously demonstrated. They applied large (>30 V) AC bias gates to the SPAD at 1 GHz and detected minute avalanches by means of radio frequency interferometry. They measured a reduction by a factor of ≈500 in the average charge per avalanche when compared to operation in its traditional active-quenching module and a relative increase in >19% in detection efficiency at 850 nm. The reduction in charge strongly suppresses self-heating effects in the […]
Discovery could help lengthen lifespan of electronic devices
Science Daily April 9, 2021 Ferroelectric materials are subjected to repeated mechanical and electrical loading, leading to a progressive decrease in their functionality, ultimately resulting in failure. An international team of researchers (Australia, China, USA – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) observed ferroelectric fatigue as it occurred using in-situ biasing transmission electron microscopy. They discovered that charge accumulation at domain walls is the main reason of the formation of c domains, which are less responsive to the applied electric field. The rapid growth of the frozen c domains leads to the ferroelectric degradation. This finding gives insights into the nature of […]
Duke University Develops Portable Diagnostic to Detect Early Biomarkers of Ebola Virus
Global Biodefense April 7, 2021 Ebola virus (EBOV) hemorrhagic fever outbreaks have been challenging to deter due to the lack of health care infrastructure in disease-endemic countries and a corresponding inability to diagnose and contain the disease at an early stage. EBOV vaccines and therapies have improved disease outcomes, but the advent of an affordable, easily accessed, mass-produced rapid diagnostic test (RDT) that matches the performance of more resource-intensive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays would be invaluable in containing future outbreaks. A team of researchers in the US (Duke University, UT Galveston) has developed and demonstrated the performance of a […]
New laser to help clear the sky of space debris
Phys.org April 12, 2021 The laser beams used for tracking space junk use infrared light and are not visible. The new guide star laser, which is mounted on a telescope, developed by an international team of researchers (from Australia, Japan, USA) propagates a visible orange beam into the night sky to create an artificial star that can be used to accurately measure light distortion between Earth and space. This guiding orange light enables adaptive optics to sharpen images of space debris. It can also guide a second, more powerful infra-red laser beam through the atmosphere to precisely track space debris or […]
Ocean bacteria release carbon into the atmosphere
Science Daily April 12, 2021 A team of researchers in the US (University of Minnesota Twin-Cities, Boston University, Harvard University) discovered that deep-sea bacteria dissolve carbon-containing rocks, releasing excess carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. They studied sulfur-oxidizing bacteria — a group of microbes that use sulfur as an energy source — in methane seeps on the ocean floor. The seeps contain collections of limestone that trap large amounts of carbon. The sulfur-oxidizing microbes live on top of these rocks, in the process of oxidizing sulfur, the bacteria create an acidic reaction that dissolves the rocks. This releases the carbon […]
Researchers establish the first entanglement-based quantum network
Phys.org April 15, 2021 Researchers in the Netherlands have built a three-node entanglement-based quantum network by combining remote quantum nodes based on diamond communication qubits into a scalable phase-stabilized architecture, supplemented with a robust memory qubit and local quantum logic. They achieved real-time communication and feed-forward gate operations across the network. They demonstrated two quantum network protocols without postselection: the distribution of genuine multipartite entangled states across the three nodes, and entanglement swapping through an intermediary node. The work establishes a key platform for exploring, testing, and developing multinode quantum network protocols and a quantum network control stack…read more. TECHNICAL […]
Scientists discover three liquid phases in aerosol particles
Phys.org April 12, 2021 Aerosol particles fill the atmosphere and play a critical role in air quality. These particles contribute to poor air quality and absorb and reflect solar radiation, affecting the climate system. An international team of researchers (Canada, USA – UC Irvine, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Harvard University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Germany) used optical and fluorescence microscopy, to present images that showed the coexistence of two noncrystalline phases for real-world samples as well as for laboratory-generated samples under simulated atmospheric conditions. The results revealed that atmospheric particles can undergo liquid–liquid phase separations. The study focused on particles […]