Physics World August 3, 2018 Researchers in South Korea have significantly improved the performance of photoresponsive flash memories made from OFETs by making use of floating gates based on cadmium selenide quantum dots whose surfaces have been modified. They found that modifying the surfaces of the dots affected the performance of the memories and found that capping small ligands of octadecylphosphonic and fluorinated molecules improved the diffusion of holes between the dots and the conducting channels in the devices. The new devices have memory ratios of over 105 between OFF and ON bi-stable current states for over 10,000 seconds and […]
Research finds quakes can systematically trigger other ones on opposite side of Earth
Oregon State University August 1, 2018 Researchers at Oregon State University analyzed seismic data from 1973 through 2016, excluding data from aftershock zones, using larger time windows than in previous studies. A tremblor is most likely to induce another quake within 30 degrees of the original quake’s antipode – the point directly opposite it on the other side of the globe. The understanding of the mechanics of how one earthquake could initiate another while being widely separated in distance and time is still largely speculative. But irrespective of the specific mechanics involved, evidence shows that triggering does take place, followed […]
Switchable plasmonic routers controlled by external magnetic fields by using magneto-plasmonic waveguides
Phys.org August 7, 2018 An international team of researchers (South Korea, Germany) investigated magneto-plasmons in metal films surrounded by a ferromagnetic dielectric. They found that the magnitude of magnetization is exponentially reduced with the increase of the metal film thickness. Based on this phenomenon, they propose a waveguide-integrated magnetically controlled switchable plasmonic routers with 99-%-high contrast within the optical bandwidth of tens of THz. This configuration can also operate as a magneto-plasmonic modulator. Plasmonic waveguides open the possibility to develop dramatically miniaturized optical devices and provide a promising route towards the next generation of integrated nanophotonic circuits for information processing, […]
The ultimate combination: A 3D-printed optical deep learning network
Eurekalert July 26, 2018 Researchers at UCLA have developed an optical deep learning framework called Diffractive Deep Neural Network (D2NN), that consists of layers of 3-D-printed, optically diffractive surfaces that work together to process information. Each point on a given layer either transmits or reflects an incoming wave, which represents an artificial neuron that is connected to other neurons of the following layers through optical diffraction. By altering the phase and amplitude, each “neuron” is tunable. They demonstrated that after training the system on the handwritten digits, D2NN could recognise the numbers with 95.08% accuracy. According to the researchers the […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Innovations for the Week of August 3, 2018
01. Optical neural network demo 02. Researchers generate optical skyrmions 03. Superflexible aerogels are highly efficient absorbents, thermal insulators, and pressure sensors 04. New materials undergo solid-liquid phase transitions at room temperature 05. An insect-inspired drone deforms upon impact 06. DARPA has an ambitious $1.5 billion plan to reinvent electronics 07. Flooded internet is possible by 2035 08. Key Researchers on the Pace and Peculiarities of Developing Quantum Computing—and the Possible End of Bitcoin 09 DARPA Sets Date for Subterranean Challenge Competitors Day 10. Mass effective adoption of the right technologies is the key to growth
DARPA has an ambitious $1.5 billion plan to reinvent electronics
MIT Technology Review July 30, 2018 To move beyond Moore’s Law the chances are that radically new materials, and new ways of integrating computing power and memory, will be needed. Shifting data between memory components that store it and processors that act on it sucks up energy and creates one of the biggest hurdles to boosting processing power. DARPA launched a $1.5 billion, five-year program known as the Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) to support work on advances in chip technology. The agency has just unveiled the first set of research teams selected to explore unproven but potentially powerful approaches that […]
DARPA Sets Date for Subterranean Challenge Competitors Day
DARPA July 20, 2018 The goal of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge is to discover innovative solutions to rapidly and remotely map, navigate, and search complex underground environments, including human-made tunnel systems, urban and municipal underground infrastructure, and natural cave networks. The final event, planned for 2021, will put teams to the test with a course that incorporates diverse challenges from all three environments. The winner of the systems competition will take home a $2 million prize, while the winner of the virtual competition will earn a $750,000 prize… read more. BAA
Flooded internet is possible by 2035
Physics World July 27, 2018 In a study, a team of researchers in the US (University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Oregon) has identified the approach of the flooded internet, caused by worldwide sea level rise. Within 15 years sea water could be lapping over buried fibre-optic cables in New York, Seattle, Miami and other US coastal cities, according to the study. They looked only at the challenges for the US. They calculated that by 2033 an estimated 4000 miles of buried fibre-optic conduit will be under water. More than 1100 traffic hubs – internet exchange points that handle massive quantities […]
An insect-inspired drone deforms upon impact
Science Daily July 26, 2018 An international team of researchers (Switzerland, Japan) has developed an origami structure which consists of a prestretched elastomeric membrane, akin to the soft resilin joints of insect wings, sandwiched between rigid tiles, akin to the rigid cuticles of insect wings. The dual-stiffness properties of the structure are validated by using the origami as an element of a quadcopter frame that can withstand aerodynamic forces within its flight envelope but softens during collisions to avoid permanent damage… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Key Researchers on the Pace and Peculiarities of Developing Quantum Computing—and the Possible End of Bitcoin
IEEE Spectrum July 27, 2018 Researchers from IBM, Microsoft and Google talked about the hopeful but unpredictable future of the technology, as well as the unique quirks of managing quantum computing projects. With basic science involved, it is hard to predict we will make this great invention next year. Companies are looking for people who are mathematicians, and physicists, and chemists, and engineers, but mostly people who have an open mind and who can solve problems… read more.