Technology.org October 26, 2018 An international team of researchers (Finland, Italy, UK, USA – Case Western University) has demonstrated that can are able to control the direction of a laser’s output beam by applying external voltage. They combined solitons and collinear pumping in weakly scattering dye-doped nematic liquid crystals, whereby random lasing and self-confinement concur to beaming the emission. The advantages are: all-optical switching driven by a low-power input, laser directionality and smooth output profile with high-conversion efficiency, externally controlled angular steering. Such effects make soliton-assisted random lasers an outstanding route towards application-oriented random lasers. This could lead to a […]
New data science method makes charts easier to read at a glance
Science Daily October 18, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (Columbia University, Tufts University) has developed a new method — “Pixel Approximate Entropy” — that measures the complexity of a data visualization and assigns a “visual complexity score”. The system automatically simplifies or summarizes charts that would be hard to read on their own. They modified a low dimensional entropy measure to operate on line charts, and then conducted a series of user studies that demonstrated the measure could predict how well users perceived charts… read more. TECHNICAL ARTILCE
Navy declares EMS a full-fledged warfighting domain
Defense Systems October 23, 2018 A new Navy policy recognizes the electromagnetic spectrum as a warfighting domain “on par with sea, land, air, space and cyber.” The EMS enterprise, as defined in the new policy, includes “all electronic systems, subsystems, devices, and equipment that depend on the use of spectrum to properly accomplish their function” whether acquired or procured from commercial companies. The Navy CIO will be responsible for resolving any conflicting policies on the federal or Defense Department level and will serve as a principal advisor to the Navy Secretary on EMS… read more.
Large family of quantum spin liquids revealed
Physics World October 18, 2018 Researchers in China synthesized and characterized a large family of rare-earth chalcogenides AReCh 2 (A = alkali or monovalent ions, Re = rare earth, Ch = O, S, Se) which share the same structure (Rbar 3m) as YbMgGaO 4 , and antiferromagnetically coupled rare-earth ions form perfect triangular layers that are well separated along the c-axis. The family, having the simplest structure and chemical formula among the known QSL candidates, removes the issue on possible exchange disorders in YbMgGaO 4 . The rich diversity of the family members allows tunable charge gaps, variable exchange coupling, […]
Bursting the clouds for better communication
Phys.org October 18, 2018 Researchers in Switzerland have developed a laser that heats the air over 1,500 degrees Celsius and produces a shock wave to expel the suspended water droplets sideways. This creates a hole a few centimetres wide over the entire thickness of the cloud. The laser beam should be kept on the cloud and the laser that contains the information should be sent at the same time. It then slips into the hole through the cloud and allows the data to be transferred. This “laser cleaner” is currently being tested on artificial clouds that are 50 cm thick […]
Biological invisibility cloak: Elucidating cuttlefish camouflage
Science Daily October 18, 2018 Among all animals, cuttlefish, squid and octopuses control their appearance by the direct action of neurons onto expandable pixels, numbered in millions, located in their skin. Researchers in Germany peered into the brain of the cuttlefish and its camouflage control system. They derived minimal rules that may explain skin morphogenesis. They found that chromatophores (specialized skin cells) systematically change colors over time. The study opens a large range of new questions and opportunities in field of cognitive computational neuroscience; help define the precise link between brain activity and behavior and help identify the cellular rules […]
3D-Printed Graphene Scaffold Breaks Capacitor Records
Inside Science October 18, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (UC Santa Cruz, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) has made a 3D printed graphene aerogel electrode with MnO2 loading of 182.2 mg cm−2, which achieves a record-high areal capacitance of 44.13 F cm−2. the electrode can simultaneously achieve excellent capacitance normalized to area, gravimetry, and volume, which is the trade-off for most electrodes. The work successfully validates the feasibility of printing practical pseudocapacitive electrodes, which might revolutionize pseudocapacitor fabrication… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of October 19, 2018
01. New half-light half-matter particles may hold the key to a computing revolution 02. Geoengineering will happen, China controlling rain across Tibet 03. New technique locates robots, soldiers in GPS-challenged areas 04. Measurement-device-independent quantum communication without encryption 05. The future of electronic devices: Strong and self-healing ion gels 06. Lift off for world-first ultrasound levitation that bends around barriers 07. Optical gyroscopes the size of a grain of rice and with higher precision 08. Invention of ionic decision-maker capable of self-learning 09. Security vulnerabilities in terahertz data links 10. Pristine Quantum Light Source Created at the Edge of Silicon Chip […]
What will be the big changes from 2018 to 2028?
Next Big Future October 13, 2018 Emerging technologies for the next 10 years include private supersonic jets, windowless business jet, start of some point to point hypersonic travel via SpaceX BFR, new space habitats on the moon and in various orbits, at least two missions to Mars, Electric cars and trucks will have a dominant market share, some drone air taxis and there will flying suit sport racing, Artificial Intelligence and quantum computers will transform IT and logistics, Virtual reality, augmented reality and industrial and home robotics will have become more mainstream, China’s high-speed rail network will continue to fill […]
Self-healing material can build itself from carbon in the air
MIT News October 11, 2018 In proof-of-concept experiments a team of researchers in the US (MIT, UC Riverside) used, a gel matrix composed of a polymer made from aminopropyl methacrylamide and glucose, an enzyme called glucose oxidase, and the chloroplasts (from spinach), that becomes stronger as it incorporates the carbon. It is not yet strong enough to be used as a building material, though it might function as a crack filling or coating material. The results point to a new class of materials capable of using atmospheric CO2 fixation as a regeneration source, finding utility as self‐healing coatings, construction materials, […]