Phys.org February 7, 2024 Currently possible mis-classification of explosions as earthquakes currently limits the use of screening methods for verification of test-ban treaties. Researchers in Australia showed that populations of moment tensors for both earthquakes and explosions are anisotropically distributed on the hypersphere. They described a method that uses these elliptical distributions in combination with a Bayesian classifier to achieve successful classification rates of 99 per cent for explosions and 98 per cent for earthquakes using existing catalogues of events from the western United States. The 1983 May 5 Crowdie underground nuclear test and 2018 July 20 DAG-1 deep-borehole chemical […]
Tag Archives: S&T Australia
Reading on screens instead of paper is a less effective way to absorb and retain information, suggests research
Phys.org February 5, 2024 Evidence from recent experiments suggests a complex interplay of visual and cognitive influences on how people engage with digital reading. According to the researchers in Australia although readers can strategically adjust their reading behaviors in response to their immediate reading context, the efficacy of these strategies depends on cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational factors. Comprehension tends to be less effective when reading on screens than on paper, particularly with texts that require a deeper understanding or when reading under time pressure. Recent evidence indicates that digital readers exhibit a tendency towards more shallow or superficial text processing […]
Superlensing without a super lens: Physicists boost microscopes beyond limits
Phys.org October 18, 2023 Imaging with resolutions much below the wavelength λ remains challenging at lower frequencies, where exponentially decaying evanescent waves are generally measured using a tip or antenna close to an object. Such approaches are often problematic because probes can perturb the near-field itself. Researchers in Australia have demonstrated that information encoded in evanescent waves can be probed further than previously thought, by reconstructing truthful images of the near-field through selective amplification of evanescent waves like a virtual superlens that images the near field without perturbing it. They quantified trade-offs between noise and measurement distance, experimentally demonstrated reconstruction […]
Mapping Australia’s hidden lithium reserves
Phys.org August 31, 2023 Researchers in Australia used a digital soil mapping framework to combine data from recent geochemical surveys and environmental covariates that affect soil formation to predict and map aqua-regia-extractable Li content across the 7.6×106 km2 area of Australia. Catchment outlet sediment samples were collected with both top (0–10 cm depth) and bottom (on average ∼60–80 cm depth). They developed 50 bootstrap models using a cubist regression tree algorithm for each depth. The spatial prediction models were validated on an independent Northern Australia Geochemical Survey dataset, showing a good prediction for the top depth. The model for the bottom depth is […]
‘Topological gardening’ to achieve unexpected spin transport
Nanowerk August 22, 2023 In topological materials the interaction between the bulk state and edge states can be tuned to manipulate edge transport behavior, especially in topological crystalline insulators (TCI) which have multiple degrees of topological protection. This can open opportunities for novel electronic and spintronic applications. Researchers in Australia investigated how bulk-edge interactions can influence the edge transport in planar bismuthene, a TCI with metallic edge states protected by in-plane mirror symmetry. By exploring the impact of various perturbation effects, such as device size, substrate potentials, and applied transverse electric field, they examined the evolution of the electronic structure […]
New-look infrared lens shines a light on future technology and manufacturing
Phys.org May 29, 2023 There is a need for low-cost alternatives to traditional materials used in infrared optics such as germanium. Sulfur-rich copolymers hold promise, as they are made from low-cost feedstocks and have a high refractive index. Researchers in Australia copolymerized cyclopentadiene with sulfur to provide a plastic with the highest long-wave infrared transparency reported to date for this class of materials. Diverse lens architectures were accessible through melt casting or reactive injection molding. The featured copolymer was black, which enabled its use as an infrared-transparent blind for protection of thermal imaging equipment and clandestine surveillance. According to the […]
Half-century of cyclone data puts researchers on track to explore future risks
Phys.org January 19, 2023 Tropical cyclones (TCs) with genesis in the Coral Sea present significant hazards to coastal regions in their surroundings. In addition, the erratic nature of TC tracks is not well understood in this region. Researchers in Australia grouped Coral Sea TC tracks over the last fifty years based on K-means clustering of the maximum wind-weighted centroids to extract valuable new cyclone power, track curvature and location related information to predict their behaviour. They assessed the TC track variance and curvature (sinuosity) and identified three well-defined clusters of TC tracks. The results showed differing predominant directions of TC […]
New nanowire sensors are the next step in the Internet of Things
Phys.og January 6, 2023 Despite intensive research and rapid progress in self-powered gas devices, most reported devices, specifically NO2 sensors for air pollution monitoring, have limited sensitivity, selectivity, and scalability. Researchers in Australia have demonstrated a photovoltaic self-powered NO2 sensor based on axial p–i–n homojunction InP nanowire (NW) arrays, that overcame these limitations. The device was designed by numerical simulation for insights into sensing mechanisms and performance enhancement. Without a power source, the InP NW sensor achieved an 84% sensing response to 1 ppm NO2 and recorded a limit of detection down to the sub-ppb level, with little dependence on […]
Meta-optics: The disruptive technology you didn’t see coming
Phys.org December 22, 2022 Optical metasurfaces interact strongly with light. The field has been driven by the key advantages of this concept, including the ultimate miniaturization of optical elements, empowering novel functionalities that process hidden modalities of light, and the opportunity to tune their properties on demand. Many applications with a focus on smart vision have emerged, foreseeing a meta-optical device under the hood of any robotic system. Nowadays the field is experiencing a solid industry pull that defines the challenges and research directions. In this review researchers in Australia have provided an overview of the applications of the field […]