MIT News September 9, 2019 A team of researchers in the US Columbia University, MIT, Harvard University) found that the auditory cortex responds differently to the presence of background noise, suggesting that auditory processing occurs in steps that progressively hone in on and isolate a sound of interest. They found that the primary and non-primary regions of the auditory cortex responded differently to natural sound depending upon whether background noise was present. Music, speech, or a squeaky toy all activated the non-primary cortex region similarly, whether or not background noise was present. Attention is not driving this aspect of sound […]
How the United States Is Developing Post-Quantum Cryptography
IEEE Spectrum September 6, 2019 NIST is overseeing the second phase of its Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization Process to narrow down the best candidates for quantum-resistant algorithms that can replace modern cryptography. At the Second PQC Standardization Conference 26 candidate algorithms were selected. The algorithms fall into two general categories – the first category includes key-establishment algorithms that enable two parties that have never met to agree on a shared secret, the second category involves algorithms for digital signatures that ensure the authenticity of data. Both categories require new algorithms based upon mathematical problems which even quantum computers couldn’t crack. NIST […]
Measuring changes in magnetic order to find ways to transcend conventional electronics
Science Daily September 6, 2019 Recent studies have shown that the antiferromagnetic AFM order parameter can be ‘switched’ (that is, change it from one known value to another, fast) using light or electric currents. However, the dynamics of the order-switching process are not understood. Current approaches rely on measuring only certain phenomena during AFM order switching and they are not reliable. An international team of researchers (Switzerland, Japan) used second-harmonic generation whose output value is directly related to the AFM order parameter and combined it with measurements of the Faraday effect. Combining these two different measurement methods, the researchers managed […]
Molecule properties change through light
Phys.org September 9, 2019 Researchers in Germany have developed and manufactured a novel molecule called 3-methoxy-9-fluorenylidene which is based on a fluorine scaffold with a methoxy group attached in the shape of a rotational tail. They figured out that the molecule’s magnetic properties are determined by the orientation of the methoxy group, which changes its conformation depending on the kind of light that hits it. It can be used to switched on and off magnetism; it is not brittle like conventional magnets, but flexible and can be processed like plastics. Using this group of atoms, we can study the spin […]
A new equation may have finally solved Einstein’s ‘biggest blunder’
Space.com September 6, 2019 Researchers in Switzerland have introduced a new way of evaluating Albert Einstein’s equations of gravity to find a value for the cosmological constant that closely matches its observed value by adding an additional equation on top of Einstein’s field equations. In their modification of general relativity, the gravitational constant remains the same within our observable universe but may vary in a multiverse scenario where there may be patches of the universe invisible to us that have different values for the fundamental constants. Using this they found the universe is made up of about 74% dark energy. […]
New metamaterial morphs into new shapes, taking on new properties
Science Daily September 11, 2019 Most reconfigurable materials can toggle between two distinct states and require a persistent external stimulus to change from one shape to another and stay that way. Using two-photon lithography a team of researchers in the US (Caltech, GeorgiaTech) designed a silicon-coated lattice with microscale straight beams that bend into curves under electrochemical stimulation, taking on unique mechanical and vibrational properties. They built in defects in the architected material system, based on a pre-arranged design. The material has potential for energy storage systems, provides a novel pathway for development of next generation smart batteries with both […]
Open-access megajournals lose momentum
Science Magazine September 13, 2019 When PLOS ONE debuted in 2006, it became the world’s largest journal, publishing more than 30,000 papers at its height in 2013 and spawning more than a dozen imitators. From 2013 to 2018, PLOS ONE’s output fell by 44%. Growth in new megajournals has not offset the declines. In 2018, PLOS ONE, Scientific Reports, and 11 smaller megajournals collectively published about 3% of the global papers total. Driving the fall in output is a decline in submissions, they have lost have their appeal of rapid publication and as publishing volumes have declined, so have megajournals’ […]
Researchers show atoms can receive common communications signals
Nanowerk September 5, 2019 Researchers at NIST team used cesium atoms to receive digital bits in the most common communications format, which is used in cell phones, Wi-Fi and satellite TV, to demonstrate one can use atoms to receive modulated signals. The method works across a huge range of frequencies. They used a recently developed atom-based mixer to convert input signals into new frequencies. One RF signal acts as a reference and a second RF signal serves as the modulated signal carrier. Differences in frequency and the offset between the two signals were detected and measured by probing the atoms. […]
Researchers produce synthetic Hall Effect to achieve one-way radio transmission
EurekAlert September 12, 2019 Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a method to directionally control data transmission using a principle similar to the Hall Effect. They generated a “current of light” by creating synthetic electric and magnetic fields, which affect light the same way the normal fields affect electrons. The synthetic fields are created by varying the structure that light propagates through both in space and time. By creating a specially designed circuit to enhance the interaction between the synthetic fields and radio waves, the team leveraged the principle of the Hall Effect to boost radio signals going […]
U.S. Engineering Salaries Jump; Smartphone Developers Win Big
IEEE Spectrum September 11, 2019 These are some of the highlights that stand out in the just-released IEEE-USA Salary & Benefits Survey – income gains weren’t evenly spread among engineers of all specialties, regions, race, gender, or age; Smartphone Developers and Machine Learning Engineers Win Big; engineers working in energy and power engineering, robotics and automation, and engineers in instrumentation and measurement, are at the lower end of the scale. The Salary “Gap” between men and women is more like a chasm, the overall difference in median income in 2018 was $19,000. Large racial disparities persist. Income varied significantly with […]