Next Big Future March 20, 2019 According to the analysis of the DOD budget, in 2020, the US military will spend nearly a quarter of trillion dollars to buy military weapons and hardware. The Navy will get the most at about $70 billion, then the air force at $57 billion… read more.
The taming of the light screw
Phys.org March 22, 2019 Researchers in Germany performed high-harmonic generation measurements from silicon and quartz to demonstrate that the polarization states of the harmonics are not only determined by crystal symmetries, but can be dynamically controlled, as a consequence of the intertwined interband and intraband electronic dynamics. Using symmetry-dynamics duality they generated coherent circularly polarized harmonics from elliptically polarized pulses. The method is versatile and expected to find important applications in future studies of novel quantum materials such as strongly correlated materials, topological insulators, and magnetic materials… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Supercrystal: A hidden phase of matter created by a burst of light
Science Daily March 18, 2019 A team of researchers in the US (Pennsylvania State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, UC Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) has shown that atomic-scale PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices, counterpoising strain and polarization states in alternate layers, are converted by sub-picosecond optical pulses to a supercrystal phase. This phase persists indefinitely under ambient conditions, has not been created via equilibrium routes, and can be erased by heating. By adjusting only dielectric properties, the phase-field model describes this emergent phase as a photo-induced charge-stabilized supercrystal formed from a two-phase equilibrium state. The research has implications for […]
Radioactive material detected remotely using laser-induced electron avalanche breakdown
Phys.org March 22, 2019 Researchers at the University of Maryland present a proof-of-principle demonstration of a remote detection scheme using mid-infrared laser–induced avalanche breakdown of air. They observed on-off breakdown sensitivity to the presence of an external radioactive source. They correlated the shift of the temporal onset of avalanche to the degree of seed ionization from the source. They present scaling of the interaction with laser intensity, verify observed trends with numerical simulations, and discuss the use of mid-IR laser–driven electron avalanche breakdown to detect radioactive material at range. The method could be used to scan trucks and shipping containers […]
An Optimist’s View of the 4 Challenges to Quantum Computing
IEEE Spectrum March 22, 2019 According to some experts quantum computing will never materialize as it will require control over an exponentially large number of quantum states, and that this amount of control is too difficult to achieve. According to Intel there are four key challenges that could keep quantum computing from becoming a reality – Qubit Quality, Error Correction, Qubit Control, Too Many Wires. Researches at Intel are working to tackle each of these challenges. But if solved, we could create a commercially relevant quantum computer in about 10-12 years… read more.
One transistor for all purposes
Nanowerk March 19, 2019 Until now, organic semiconductors have failed to achieve high performance in highly integrated sub-100 nm transistors. Using a vertical field-effect transistor design with a channel length of only 40 nm and a footprint of 2 × 80 × 80 nm2, researchers in Germany show that high electrical performance with organic polymers can be realized when using electrolyte gating. These organic transistors combine high on-state current densities of above 3 MA cm−2, on/off current modulation ratios of up to 108 and large transconductances of up to 5,000 S m−1. These structures show promise for use in artificial neural networks, where they could operate as memristive devices with sub-100 fJ […]
Materials could delay frost up to 300 times longer than existing anti-icing coatings
Nanowerk March 21, 2019 An international team of researchers (USA – University of Illinois, France) has demonstrated that the use of certain phase‐change materials, called phase‐switching liquids (PSLs), which are in liquid state under ambient conditions and have melting point higher than the freezing point of water can impede condensation–frosting lasting up to 300 and 15 times longer in bulk and surface infused state, respectively. The freezing delay is primarily a consequence of the release of trapped latent heat due to condensation, solidified PSL surface morphology and its miscibility in water. Regardless of surface chemistry, PSL‐infused textured surfaces exhibit low […]
In a new quantum simulator, light behaves like a magnet
Phys.org March 19, 2019 An international team of researchers (Switzerland, France, Japan) proposes a new “quantum simulator”, a photonic device that can be built and run with current experimental techniques. It may be built using superconducting coupled to laser fields in such a way that it causes an effective interaction among photons. It can simulate the complex behavior of real, interacting magnets at very low temperatures. They found that the photons behaved in the same way as magnetic dipoles across the quantum phase transition in real materials. The Using the new technique photons can be used to run a virtual […]
Growing Drone Industry Spawns a Growing Antidrone Industry
IEEE Spectrum March 26, 2019 FAA report to address the rogue drones is due to be released in about two months. It’s not technically difficult to detect even a small drone with suitable radar equipment. But the tricky part is distinguishing them from birds, which have about the same radar cross section. The signals recorded by the right radar will register these differences between birds and drones. Once a drone has been spotted flying someplace it shouldn’t be, there are all sorts of ways to neutralize it or take control over the drone and force it to land or fly […]
The future of stretchable electronics
Phys.org March 26, 2019 In this review article researchers in China highlight the advances in stretchable electronics, with an emphasis on underlying methods and engineering strategies in stretchable device construction and their applications. Currently there are two main strategies for manufacturing stretchable electronics. The first is to use intrinsically stretchable materials, such as rubber, which can endure large deformations but have high electrical resistance. The second method is to make non-flexible materials stretchable using innovative design. In the future, stretchable electronics may be enhanced with new capabilities, such as wireless communication, self-charging or even self-healing. Bringing stretchable electronic devices to […]