Rewriting the periodic table at high pressure The periodic table has been a vital foundational tool for material research since it was first created 150 years ago. Now, researchers add an entirely new dimension to the table, offering a new set of …
Schrödinger's cat with 20 qubits Dead or alive, left-spinning or right-spinning — in the quantum world particles such as the famous analogy of Schrödinger's cat can be all these things at the same time. An international team, t …
How do atoms vibrate in graphene nanostructures? Researchers have developed a method capable to measure all phonons existing in a nanostructured material. This is a breakthrough in the analysis of nanoscale functional materials and devices.
Sharp meets flat in tunable 2D material Scientists have created unique two-dimensional flakes with two distinct personalities: molybdenum diselenide on one side of a sharp divide with rhenium diselenide on the other. The materials show prom …
Scientists can now control thermal profiles at the nanoscale Scientists have designed and tested an experimental system that uses a near-infrared laser to actively heat two gold nanorod antennae to different temperatures. The nanorods are so close together that …
Ultracold quantum particles break classical symmetry Many phenomena of the natural world evidence symmetries in their dynamic evolution which help researchers to better understand a system's inner mechanism. In quantum physics, however, these symme …
Dark matter may be older than the Big Bang Dark matter, which researchers believe make up about 80% of the universe's mass, is one of the most elusive mysteries in modern physics. What exactly it is and how it came to be is a mystery, but …
Designing a light-trapping, color-converting crystal A recipe for creating a microscopic crystal structure that can hold 2 wavelengths of light at once is a step toward faster telecommunications and quantum computers.
Spinning towards robust microwave generation on the nano scale Many physicists have attempted to produce reliable macroscale microwave fields by combining nanoscale spin-torque oscillators, but so far without success. Physicists have now theoretically demonstrate …
Quantum momentum Occasionally we come across a problem in classical mechanics that poses particular difficulties for translation into the quantum world. A new mathematical model has provided some insights into one of …
Heterostructure crystals could light the way to optical circuits It may be possible to reach new levels of miniaturization, speed, and data processing with optical quantum computers, which use light to carry information. For this, we need materials that can absorb …
Using quantum dots and a smartphone to find killer bacteria A combination of off-the-shelf quantum dot nanotechnology and a smartphone camera soon could allow doctors to identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria in just 40 minutes, potentially saving patient live …
How electrons in transition metals get redistributed Researchers have measured how electrons in so-called transition metals get redistributed within a fraction of an optical oscillation cycle. They observed the electrons getting concentrated around the …
Turning water into ice in the quantum realm When you pop a tray of water into the freezer, you get ice cubes. Now, researchers have achieved a similar transition using clouds of ultracold atoms.
Synthesizing single-crystalline hexagonal graphene quantum dots Engineers have designed a novel strategy for synthesizing single-crystalline graphene quantum dots, which emit stable blue light. The research team confirmed that a display made of their synthesized g …
Promising new solar-powered path to hydrogen fuel production Engineers have utilized a single enzyme biomineralization process to create a catalyst that uses the energy of captured sunlight to split water molecules to produce hydrogen. The synthesis process is …
Is your supercomputer stumped? There may be a quantum solution A new study details how a quantum computing technique called 'quantum annealing' can be used to solve problems relevant to fundamental questions in nuclear physics about the subatomic buildi …
Quantum light sources pave the way for optical circuits Physicists have succeeded in placing light sources in atomically thin material layers with an accuracy of just a few nanometers. The new method allows for a multitude of applications in quantum techno …
Experiments explore the mysteries of 'magic' angle superconductors Physicists conducted experiments to explore superconductivity in a groundbreaking new material known as magic-angle twisted graphene. The team imaged electrons on the material's surface and found …
Scientists cook up new recipes for taking salt out of seawater As populations boom and chronic droughts persist, coastal cities like Carlsbad in Southern California have increasingly turned to ocean desalination to supplement a dwindling fresh water supply. Now s …
Improving efficiency, brightness of perovskite LEDs Advances in organic phosphorescent materials are opening new opportunities for organic light-emitting diodes for combined electronics and light applications, including solar cells, photodiodes, optica …
Seeking new physics, scientists borrow from social networks A new technique that draws inspiration from social networks can automatically spot anomalous particle smashups, which may point to new types of physics beyond the Standard Model.
Travelling towards a quantum internet at light speed Researchers demonstrated a new method for transmitting quantum information over long distances by using circularly polarized light to flip the spin state of an electron on a quantum dot. This work may …
Physicists discover new quantum trick for graphene: Magnetism Physicists were stunned when two twisted sheets of graphene showed signs of superconductivity. Now scientists have shown that the wonder material also generates a type of magnetism once only dreamed o …
Scientists film molecular rotation Scientists have used precisely tuned pulses of laser light to film the ultrafast rotation of a molecule. The resulting 'molecular movie' tracks one and a half revolutions of carbonyl sulphid …
A good first step toward nontoxic solar cells A team of engineers has found what they believe is a more stable, less toxic semiconductor for solar applications, using a novel double mineral discovered through data analytics and quantum-mechanical …
Technologies for the sixth generation cellular network Future wireless data networks will have to reach higher transmission rates and shorter delays, while supplying an increasing number of end devices. Researchers have used ultra-rapid electro-optical mo …
Developing technologies that run on light Researchers are designing a nanoscale photon diode — a necessary component that could bring us closer to faster, more energy-efficient computers and communications that replace electricity with light …
Ultrathin transistors for faster computer chips The next big miniaturization step in microelectronics could soon become possible — with so-called two-dimensional materials. With the help of a novel insulator made of calcium fluoride, scientists ha …
When the pigeon and the letter do not travel together In standard communication the pigeon always carries the message; the information is linked to a physical entity/particle. Counter to intuition, in a new counterfactual communication protocol, scientis …
Towards a light driven molecular assembler A team of chemists built the first artificial assembler, which uses light as the energy source. These molecular machines are performing synthesis in a similar way as biological nanomachines. Advantage …
A torque on conventional magnetic wisdom Physicists have observed a magnetic phenomenon called the 'anomalous spin-orbit torque' (ASOT) for the first time. Scientists have made this observation, demonstrating that there exists comp …
Record-setting quantum motion Showcasing precise control at the quantum level, physicists have developed a method for making an ion (electrically charged atom) display exact quantities of quantum-level motion — any specific amoun …
Atomically precise models improve understanding of fuel cells Simulations from researchers in Japan provide new insights into the reactions occurring in solid-oxide fuel cells by using realistic atomic-scale models of the electrode active site based on microscop …