Phys.org April 26, 2024 Researchers in the Netherlands calculated the instanton corrections to energy spectra of one-dimensional quantum mechanical oscillators to all orders and unify them in a closed form transseries description. They clarified the resurgent structure of these transseries and demonstrated two approaches in which the Stokes constants could be derived. This formulated a minimal one-parameter transseries for the natural nonperturbative extension to the perturbative energy which captured the Stokes phenomenon in a single stroke. They derived these results in three models: quantum oscillators with cubic, symmetric double well and cosine potentials. In the latter two examples, they found […]
First experimental proof for brain-like computer with water and salt
Phys.org April 25, 2025 The brain’s computing principles and information carriers both differ fundamentally from those of conventional computers. Building on this distinction, an international team of researchers (the Netherlands, South Korea) presented an easy-to-fabricate tapered microchannels that embedded a conducting network of fluidic nanochannels between a colloidal structure. Due to transient salt concentration polarization, their devices were volatile memristors that were stable. The voltage-driven net salt flux and accumulation, that underpin the concentration polarization combined into a diffusion like quadratic dependence of the memory retention time on the channel length, allowing channel design for a specific timescale. They implemented […]
Flat optics revolutionize quantum light sources for enhanced communication and sensing
Nanowerk April 25, 2024 Recent advancements have witnessed a significant shift toward the utilization of “flat” optics with thickness at subwavelength scales for the development of quantum light sources. This approach offers notable advantages over conventional bulky counterparts, including compactness, scalability, and improved efficiency, along with added functionalities. In this review researchers in Australia focused on the recent advances in leveraging flat optics to generate quantum light sources. Specifically, the generation of entangled photon pairs through spontaneous parametric down-conversion in nonlinear metasurfaces, and single photon emission from quantum emitters including quantum dots and color centers in 3D and 2D materials […]
How much trust do people have in different types of scientists?
Phys.org April 25, 2024 Key to capitalizing on a wide range of solutions to societal problems offered by science is the public’s trust and willingness to grant influence to scientists in shaping policy. However, previous research on determinants of trust is limited and does not factor in the diversity of scientific occupations. In a study researchers in the Netherlands investigated how four well-established dimensions of social evaluations (competence, assertiveness, morality, warmth) shape trust in 45 types of scientists (from agronomists to zoologists). Trust in most scientists was relatively high but varied considerably across occupations. Perceptions of morality and competence emerged […]
New circuit boards can be repeatedly recycled
Science Daily April 26, 2023 A team of researchers in the US (University of Washington, industry) has developed printed circuit boards (PCB) formulation using transesterification vitrimers (vPCBs) and an end-to-end fabrication process compatible with standard manufacturing ecosystems to reduce the environmental impact of the vPCBs over conventional PCBs in 11 categories. They manufactured functional prototypes of Internet of Things devices transmitting 2.4 GHz radio signals on vPCBs with electrical and mechanical properties meeting industry standards. They showed that fractures and holes in vPCBs are repairable while retaining comparable performance over multiple repair cycles, and demonstrated a non-destructive recycling process based on […]
Opening up the potential of thin-film electronics for flexible chip design
Science Daily April 24, 2024 Thin film transistor fabrication (TFT) is currently lacking a fully verified, universal design approach. This increases the cost and complexity of manufacturing TFT-based flexible electronics, slowing down their integration into more mature applications and limiting the design complexity achievable by foundries. Researchers in Belgium developed a stable and high-yield TFT platform for the fabless manufacturing of two mainstream TFT technologies, wafer-based amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide and panel-based low-temperature polycrystalline silicon, two key TFT technologies applicable to flexible substrates. They designed the 6502 microprocessor in both technologies to demonstrate and expand the multi-project wafer approach. Enabling the […]
Optical barcodes expand range of high-resolution sensor
Phys.org April 26, 2024 In the field of optical sensing, Whispering-Gallery-Mode (WGM) microresonators have emerged as promising candidates, offering the advantages of high sensitivity, high resolution, and small footprint. However, conventional sensing methods, which rely on tracking changes in a single mode, have a limited dynamic range of measurement. Researchers at Washington University developed a theoretical framework that offers comprehensive analytical insights for multimode-sensing techniques and demonstrated an optical WGM barcode technique that enabled simultaneous monitoring of the patterns of multiple modes that could provide over-FSR (Free spectral range) tracking with high resolution. They assessed the theoretical limits of measurement […]
RACER Speeds Into a Second Phase With Robotic Fleet Expansion and Another Experiment Success
DARPA News April 23, 2024 DARPA’s Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) program successfully tested autonomous movement on a new, much larger fleet vehicle. The RACER Heavy Platform (RHP) vehicles are 12-ton, 20-foot-long, skid-steer tracked vehicles – similar in size to forthcoming robotic and optionally manned combat/fighting vehicles. The RHPs complement wheeled RACER Fleet Vehicles (RFVs) already in use. Phase 2 off-road average autonomous speed goals are higher at lower intervention rates. Both RFVs and RHPs allow RACER to show adaptability and resiliency of autonomous software at multiple, platform-agnostic ground robot scales in an array of complex, military-relevant […]
Revolutionizing memory technology: multiferroic nanodots for low-power magnetic storage
Nanowerk April 26, 2024 Researchers in Japan fabricated nanodots composed of multiferroic cobalt-substituted BiFeO3, a ferroelectric ferromagnet at room temperature, by pulsed laser deposition using anodized porous alumina as masks. The nanodots were approximately 60 nm in diameter, more than 10 nm in thickness, and approximately 70 Gbit/in.2 in density. They showed both ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism with a single-domain nature. They found that the dot with 190 nm diameter had multidomain vortex ferroelectric and magnetic structures indicating the strong magnetoelectric coupling. The single-domain cobalt-substituted BiFeO3 nanodots were suitable for verifying magnetization reversal by the electric field, which was the first […]
Rubber-like stretchable energy storage device fabricated with laser precision
Science Daily April 24, 2024 Researchers in South Korea fabricated deformable micro supercapacitors (MSCs) based on eutectic gallium-indium liquid metal (EGaIn) current collectors with integrated graphene using laser ablation because of strong laser absorption of graphene and EGaIn. By controlling the gap size between neighboring interdigitated electrodes and mass loading of graphene, they were able to get a high areal capacitance with reliable rate performance. Because of the intrinsic liquid characteristics of EGaIn current collector, the areal capacitance of fabricated MSC retained 90% of original value even after repetitive folding and 20% stretching up to 1000 cycles. They successfully integrated […]