Researchers provide unprecedented view into aerosol formation in Earth’s lower atmosphere

Phys.org  March 6, 2024 Criegee intermediates are reactive intermediates that are implicated in transforming the composition of Earth’s troposphere and in the formation of secondary organic aerosol, impacting Earth’s radiation balance, air quality and human health. Direct identification of their signatures in the field are not available. An international team of researchers (USA – Argonne National Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, Caltech, Princeton University, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, UC Davis, UK, Turkey, Brazil, France) has identified sequences of masses consistent with the expected signatures of oligomerization of the CH2OO Criegee intermediate, a process implicated in ozonolysis-driven aerosol […]

Scientists launch hub to channel quantum power for good

Phys.org  March 5, 2024 The Open Quantum Institute seeks to inclusively unleash the powers of quantum computing to ensure that the whole world contributes to and benefits from quantum computing. While traditional computers process information in bits that can be represented by 0 or 1, quantum computers use qubits, which can be a combination of both at the same time, allowing them to solve more complex problems. The first commercial quantum computers are still believed to be up to a decade away, and the technology is not expected to be fully developed before around 2050. With quantum computing still under […]

Tests show high-temperature superconducting magnets are ready for fusion

MIT News  March 4, 2024 The SPARC Toroidal Field Model Coil (TFMC) Program was a three-year effort between 2018 and 2021 that developed novel rare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) superconductor technologies and then successfully utilized these technologies to design, build, and test a first-in-class, high-field (∼20 T), representative-scale (∼3 m) superconducting toroidal field (TF) coil. The program was executed jointly by the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) as a technology enabler of the superconducting high-field pathway to fusion energy, and as a risk retirement program for the no insulation (NI) TF magnet […]

Zero-index metamaterials and the future

Phys.org  March 6, 2024 Zero-index metamaterials (ZIMs) can support uniform electromagnetic field distributions at any frequency, but their applications are hampered by the ZIM’s homogenization level—only 3-unit cells per free-space wavelength, which is fundamentally limited by the low-permittivity inclusions and background matrix. An international team of researchers (USA – Stanford University, China) demonstrated a highly homogeneous microwave ZIM with an over threefold increase in the homogenization level by filling high-permittivity SrTiO3 ceramic pillars in BaTiO3 background matrix. They achieved an antenna, and a concave lens with a focal length of as short as 1λ0… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of March 01, 2024

01. New water batteries stay cool under pressure 02. Researchers develop world-leading microwave photonics chip for high-speed signal processing 03. Novel nanocrystal harnesses full solar spectrum for hydrogen production 04. Electrons become fractions of themselves in graphene 05. Research team discovers two-dimensional waveguides 06. A promising leap towards computers with light-speed capabilities 07. Improving lithium-sulfur batteries with metal-organic framework-based materials 08. Energy-saving electrochemical hydrogen production via co-generative strategies in hybrid water electrolysis 09. Measuring the properties of light: Scientists realize new method for determining quantum states 10. AI to Track Hypersonic Missiles And others Bat ‘nightclubs’ may be the key […]

AI to Track Hypersonic Missiles

Next Big Future  February 21, 2024 The startup EpiSci will use AI software to leverage infrared satellite data from the Space Development Agency (SDA) future constellation of hundreds of satellites. The satellites will have overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) sensors. EpiSci’s modular Tactical AI is positioned to solve emerging challenges by delivering AI/ML enhanced algorithms for rapid, low-latency detection, classification, and predictive tracking at the edge. These emerging systems will be able to intelligently focus resources on objects of interest and adapt to never-before-seen targets. It is partnering with Raytheon Missile Systems to provide representative training and evaluation datasets of hypersonic […]

Bat ‘nightclubs’ may be the key to solving the next pandemic

Science Daily  February 20, 2024 Myotis bats are exceptionally species rich and have evolved viral tolerance. They also exhibit swarming, a cryptic behavior where large, multi-species assemblages gather for mating, which has been hypothesized to promote interspecific hybridization. An international team of researchers (USA – Texas A&M, Switzerland, France, Ireland) analysed 60 Old World Myotis genomes to resolve the coevolution of genome architecture and their unusual antiviral tolerance. They demonstrated an extensive history of introgressive hybridization that has replaced the species phylogeny across 17%−93% of the genome except for pericentromeric regions of macrochromosomes. They enriched introgression tracts on microchromosome regions […]

Clouds disappear quickly during a solar eclipse, shows study

Phys.org  February 12, 2024 Clouds affected by solar eclipses could influence the reflection of sunlight back into space and might change local precipitation patterns. Satellite cloud retrievals have so far not taken into account the lunar shadow, hindering a reliable spaceborne assessment of the eclipse-induced cloud evolution. Researchers in the Netherlands used satellite cloud measurements during three solar eclipses between 2005 and 2016 that have been corrected for the partial lunar shadow together with large-eddy simulations to analyze the eclipse-induced cloud evolution. The corrected data revealed that, over cooling land surfaces, shallow cumulus clouds start to disappear at very small […]

Electrons become fractions of themselves in graphene

Science Daily  February 21, 2024 The fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect (FQAHE), the analogue of the fractional quantum Hall effect at zero magnetic field, is predicted to exist in topological flat bands under spontaneous time-reversal-symmetry breaking. The demonstration of FQAHE could lead to non-Abelian anyons that form the basis of topological quantum computation. So far, FQAHE has been observed only in twisted MoTe2 at a moiré filling factor v > 1/2. Graphene-based moiré superlattices are believed to host FQAHE with the potential advantage of superior material quality and higher electron mobility. At zero magnetic field, an international team of researchers (USA – […]

Energy-saving electrochemical hydrogen production via co-generative strategies in hybrid water electrolysis

Phys.org  February 26. 2024 Coupling the kinetically favorable anodic electrooxidation reactions of easily oxidizable substances with the hydrogen evolution reaction in a hybrid water electrolysis (HWE) configuration solves the pollutant emission and biomass recycling problems and maximizes the return on energy profiteering. An international team of researchers (China, Egypt, Singapore) has provided an overview of HWE system, design, and engineering of high reactive/selective/stable electrodes/electrocatalysts for anodic oxidation of organic/biomass substrates. They provided possible reaction mechanisms from both experimental and theoretical perspectives to promote the efficiency of synergistic electrocatalysis. They reviewed, the recent research breakthroughs in the field of HWE technology […]