Phys.org July 11, 2019 To reduce energy consumption in magnetic memory devices and improve their speeds, a team of researchers in the US (NIST, University of Colorado, University of Oregon) has developed a method that uses optics through localized surface plasmon resonances to couple light to nanomagnets and produce faster spintronic devices switching speeds and potential lower energy consumption. The method could ultimately lead to memory writing speeds that are 1,000 times faster than current ones…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Physicists find first possible 3-D quantum spin liquid
Phys.org July 15, 2019 A quantum spin liquid is a state of matter where unpaired electrons’ spins, although entangled, do not show magnetic order even at the zero temperature. An international team of researchers (USA – Rice University, UC San Diego, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Rutgers University, industry, UK, Switzerland, South Korea, University of Hong Kong) used thermodynamic, muon spin relaxation and neutron scattering experiments on single crystals of Ce2Zr2O7 to demonstrate the absence of magnetic ordering and the presence of a spin excitation continuum at 35 mK. With no evidence of oxygen deficiency and magnetic/non-magnetic ion disorder seen by neutron […]
Researchers build transistor-like gate for quantum information processing — with qudits
EurekAlert July 16, 2019 A team of researchers in the US (Purdue University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory) implemented qudit gate with a set of standard off-the-shelf equipment used daily in the optical communication industry. Qudits exist in multiple states, such as 0 and 1 and 2. More states mean that more data can be encoded and processed. They achieved more entanglement with fewer photons by encoding one qudit in the time domain and the other in the frequency domain of each of the two photons. They built a gate using the two qudits encoded in each photon, for a total […]
Reversible electro-optical detector for environmental sensing of pollutants
Phys.org July 15, 2019 An international team of researchers (Spain, France, USA – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) proposes the use of a simple non-porous coordination polymer that shows a magneto-structural transition under desorption/absorption of acetonitrile molecules in the structure. This reversible change produces a measurable response in the presence of acetonitrile. This response comes in the form of a change in the color of the polymer from orange to yellow and an abrupt increase in the electrical conductivity. Both responses are easily observed by the naked eye or easily measured, providing an obvious advantage over other costly analytical techniques. The […]
Stripping down bacterial armor: A new way to fight anthrax
EurelAlert July 15, 2019 Researchers in Belgium successfully applied Nanobodies® – small antibody fragments – to control the assembly of the bacterial armor and study its structure. The Nanobodies were not only effective in preventing the armor from forming, but also proved highly efficient in breaking down existing S-layers. When applied to live bacteria, breaking down the armor slowed bacterial growth and led to drastic changes in the surface of the bacterial cell. Nanobodies were tested as a treatment in mice infected with B. anthracis. All treated mice recovered from lethal anthrax within days…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Tiny vibration-powered robots are the size of the world’s smallest ant
Nanowerk July 17, 2019 Using two-photon polymerization lithography researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have designed and 3D printed micro-bristle-bots consisting of a piezoelectric actuator glued onto a polymer body. The actuator generates vibration and is powered externally, a piezoelectric shaker beneath the surface on which the robots move, from an ultrasound/sonar source, or even from a tiny acoustic speaker. The springy legs go up and down, propelling the micro-bot forward. Each robot can be designed to respond to different vibration frequencies depending on leg size, diameter, design and overall geometry. The amplitude of the vibrations controls the speed […]
Ultra-soft, liquid magnetic droplets could vault technology forward
Nanowerk July 18, 2019 Solid ferromagnetic materials are rigid in shape and cannot be reconfigured. Ferrofluids, although reconfigurable, are paramagnetic at room temperature and lose their magnetization when the applied magnetic field is removed. An international team of researchers (USA – Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UMass Amherst, China, Japan) shows a reversible paramagnetic-to-ferromagnetic transformation of ferrofluid droplets by the jamming of a monolayer of magnetic nanoparticles assembled at the water-oil interface. The ferromagnetic liquid droplets exhibit a finite coercivity and remnant magnetization, they can be easily reconfigured into different shapes while preserving the magnetic properties of […]
With Squad X, Dismounted Units Partner with AI to Dominate Battlespace
DARPA News July 7, 2019 DARPA’s Squad X Experimentation program aims to demonstrate a warfighting force with artificial intelligence as a true partner. In a recent field test, the program worked with U.S. Marines at the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, to track progress on two complementary systems that allow infantry squads to collaborate with AI and autonomous systems to make better decisions in complex, time-critical combat situations. With the conclusion of third experiment, the CACI system is moving into Phase 2, which includes an updated system that can remain continuously operational for five or more hours. […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of July 12, 2019
01. Physicists’ finding could revolutionize information transmission 02. ‘Connecting the dots’ for quantum networks 03. On-demand control of terahertz and infrared waves 04. Physicists use light waves to accelerate supercurrents, enable ultrafast quantum computing 05. Unlocking magnetic properties for future faster, low energy spintronics 06. Chip converts waste heat into electricity 07. Researchers develop ultrafast semiconductors 08. Two tiny supercomputing Pioneer nanosatellites launched 09. Extremely hard yet metallically conductive: Researchers develop novel material with high-tech prospects 10. Will your future computer be made using bacteria? And others… Mechanical vibration generated by electron spins A New Study Just Revealed That Earth’s […]
Chip converts waste heat into electricity
Nanowerk July 10, 2019 It is estimated that as much as two-thirds of energy consumed in the U.S. each year is wasted as heat. Researchers at the University of Utah have demonstrated that they can go well beyond the theoretical “blackbody limit”. They produced a 5mm-by-5mm chip of two silicon wafers with a nanoscopic gap between them. While the chip was in a vacuum, they heated one surface and cooled another surface, which created a heat flux that can generate electricity. The technology could be used to not only cool down portable devices like laptops and smartphones but also to […]