Science Daily August 22, 2018 In a lithium-ion battery, a thin piece of plastic separates the two electrodes. If the battery is damaged and the plastic layer fails, the electrodes can come into contact and cause the battery’s liquid electrolyte to catch fire. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory used perfectly spherical, 200-nanometer-diameter particles of silica suspended in common liquid electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries. On impact, the silica clump together and block the flow of fluids and ions. Uniformly sized particles disperse homogeneously. If they are not homogenously sized, the liquid becomes less viscous on impact. If the electrodes don’t […]
Nanobot pumps destroy nerve agents
Eurekalert August 21, 2018 When enzymes catalyze a reaction, they move. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have shown that if enzymes are anchored to a surface and given their reactant, they end up pumping the fluid surrounding them. An enzyme, called organophosphorus acid anhydrolase, can destroy nerve agents. The researchers immobilized this enzyme on a gel that also contained an antidote. The enzyme actively pumps in the organosphosphate compound and destroys nerve agent, and at the same time pumps out an antidote. The system requires no external power source. The nanobot pumps might someday be incorporated into protective clothing for […]
Research team finds evidence of matter-matter coupling
Phys.org August 23, 2018 An international team of researchers (USA – Rice University, Argonne National Laboratory, Japan, China, Germany) demonstrated that cooperative enhancement of the coupling strength occurs in a magnetic solid in the form of matter-matter interaction. Specifically, the exchange interaction of N paramagnetic erbium(III) (Er3+) spins with an iron(III) (Fe3+) magnon field in erbium orthoferrite (ErFeO3) exhibits a vacuum Rabi splitting whose magnitude is proportional to N. Their results provide a route for understanding, controlling, and predicting novel phases of condensed matter using concepts and tools available in quantum optics. The discovery could help advance the understanding of […]
Quantum bugs, meet your new swatter
Science Daily August 20, 2018 According to a team of researchers in the US (Rice University, University of Maryland, industry, UT Austin) when a quantum computer executes an algorithm, it starts at a specific state. The state at the very end is the answer to the algorithm’s question. Reassembling the full state from these measurements, one can later pinpoint hardware or software errors that may have caused the computer to deliver unexpected results. However, the computational cost of reconstruction can be high even as few as five or six qubits. The team solved the validation problem with an algorithm they […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of August 1, 2018
01. Enzyme can convert any blood into universally donated type O 02. Nanobot pumps destroy nerve agents 03. Quantum bugs, meet your new swatter 04. D-Wave demonstrates first large-scale quantum simulation of topological state of matter 05. Future information technologies: Nanoscale heat transport under the microscope 06. These lithium-ion batteries can’t catch fire because they harden on impact 07. Research team finds evidence of matter-matter coupling 08. Chemists make breakthrough on road to creating a rechargeable lithium-oxygen battery 09. Chemists make breakthrough on road to creating a rechargeable lithium-oxygen battery 10. Breaking down band structures And others… Big data and […]
Method to cancel noise without ear-blocking headphones
Science Daily August 24, 2018 Current noise cancelling technology comes in the form of headphones and earbuds. To cancel noise, these headphones emit an anti-noise signal to contrast the external sounds. Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a behind-the-ear device combining wireless IoT networks with noise cancellation. A microphone is placed in the environment that senses sounds and sends them over wireless signals to an earpiece. The actual sound arrives at the earpiece later, and because of this lead time, the noise can be fully canceled. As a result, it is no longer necessary to block the ear […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of August 24, 2018
01. Advancing undersea optical communications 02. Superconductivity above 10 K in a novel quasi-one-dimensional compound 03. Physicists fight laser chaos with quantum chaos to improve laser performance 04. Researchers calculate that sound has negative mass and negative gravity 05. Why adding bugs to software can make it safer 06. Plasmonic Antenna Shines a Light on Terahertz Processors 07. Quantum chains in graphene nanoribbons 08. Scientists squeeze nanocrystals in a liquid droplet into a solid-like state and back again 09. Scientists design material that can store energy like an eagle’s grip 10. Regular old WiFi spots dangerous objects in bags And […]
Advancing undersea optical communications
MIT News August 17, 2018 The laser beams are hampered by significant absorption and scattering in the ocean. Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory are applying narrow-beam laser technology, developed by the Laboratory for the LLCD (Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration), to enable communications between underwater vehicles. A beam from one underwater vehicle is pointed at the receive terminal of a second underwater vehicle. The position calculation is noise sensitive and can quickly accumulate errors of hundreds of meters when a vehicle is submerged for significant periods of time. To overcome this, they implemented an acquisition scanning function that is used to […]
Mystery Russian satellite’s behaviour raises alarm in US
BBC August 15, 2018 The satellite in question was launched in October last year. It was impossible to say if the object may be a weapon. According to the US the satellite’s behaviour on-orbit was inconsistent with anything seen before from on-orbit inspection or space situational awareness capabilities, including other Russian inspection satellite activities. US had serious concerns that Russia was developing anti-satellite weapons… read more.
Physicists fight laser chaos with quantum chaos to improve laser performance
Phys.org August 18, 2018 The instabilities in the laser are caused by optical filaments, light structures that move randomly and change with time, causing chaos. An international team of researchers (USA – Yale University, UK, Singapore) designed a D-shaped cavity for the laser to induce quantum chaos in the light bouncing around. By creating quantum (wave) chaos in the cavity the laser itself remained steady. The quantum chaos acts on a smaller scale than the wavelength of the light, creating the optical ‘hills’ that help to dispel the optical ‘tornadoes’. They gained insight into the processes and cavity shapes likely […]