Katie Sautter: Building Materials for a Quantum Future
Katie Sautter, a postdoctoral scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, is building new, exquisite, atomically engineered materials that will be used for quantum communication. Her work is part of Q-NEXT, a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center.
Black hole size revealed by its eating pattern
The feeding patterns of black holes offer insight into their size, researchers report. A new study revealed that the flickering in the brightness observed in actively feeding supermassive black holes is related to their mass.
New technique illuminates DNA helix
Cornell researchers have identified a new way to measure DNA torsional stiffness - how much resistance the helix offers when twisted - information that can potentially shed light on how cells work.
One-Dimensional Red Phosphorous Glows in Unexpected Ways
In a study published in Nature Communications, an international team led by Aalto University researchers has found that fibrous red phosphorous, when electrons are confined in its one-dimensional sub-units, can show large optical responses - that is, the material shows strong photoluminescence under light irradiation. Red phosphorous, like graphene, belongs to a unique group of materials discovered in 2017 called one-dimensional van der Waals (1D vdW) materials.
Modeling Uncovers An "Atomic Waltz" for Atom Manipulation
Researchers at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Physics in collaboration with colleagues from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA have uncovered a non-destructive mechanism to manipulate donor impurities within silicon using focused electron irradiation.
Rob Sheneman, an experienced leader, is named head of Environment, Safety and Health
Rob Sheneman, a 27-year employee of PPPL who was deputy director of Environment, Safety & Health and head of Environmental Services, has been named head of the department.
Biophysical Society Announces the Results of its 2021 Elections
ROCKVILLE, MD - Taekjip Ha has been elected President-elect of the Biophysical Society (BPS). He will assume the office of President-elect at the 2022 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California and begin his term as President during the 2023 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.
American Association of Physicists in Medicine Issues Position on Medical Imaging Radiation Limits
When a medical imaging exam provides a clinical benefit, the only risk that should be considered is the exam itself rather than a patient's previous radiation exposure, according to a statement from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the American College of Radiology and the Health Physics Society, citing potential adverse effects on patient care.
Thesis Prize Winner Targets a Proton Puzzle
The proton was discovered just over a hundred years ago and has been intensely studied ever since. Yet, there's still more to learn about this important building block of the visible universe. Now, work toward a better understanding of the proton carried out at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has earned Weizhi Xiong the 2020 Jefferson Science Associates (JSA) Thesis Prize.
Dragonfly Mission to Titan Announces Big Science Goals
NASA's Dragonfly mission, which will send a rotorcraft relocatable lander to Titan's surface in the mid-2030s, has big goals.
Metamaterials Research Challenges Fundamental Limits in Photonics
Cornell researchers are proposing a new way to modulate both the absorptive and the refractive qualities of metamaterials in real time, and their findings open intriguing new opportunities to control, in time and space, the propagation and scattering of waves for applications in various areas of wave physics and engineering.
Common Environmental Pollutants Damage Mucus Structure, Function
In Biophysics Reviews, researchers review recent scientific literature about the effects of particle contaminants on the mucosal system, an internal membrane that serves as the body's lubricant and the first line of defense from infections and toxins. These data establish a clear link between exposure to airborne or waterborne particulate matter and several health conditions.
Computational Evaluation of Drug Delivery Reveals Room for Inhalers Improvement
Increased air pollution in recent years has exacerbated health risks for people who suffer from pulmonary diseases and these dynamics underscore the importance of increasing the efficacy of drug delivery devices that administer active pharmaceutical ingredients to treat respiratory illnesses. In Physics of Fluids, researchers describe developing a computational evaluation of drug delivery through both pressurized metered-dose inhalers and dry powder inhalers to determine how the process can be improved.
Examining Correlation Between Occupational Noise, Heart Disease
Hearing conservation programs and policies aim to protect workers from noise-induced hearing loss, but it remains unclear whether stress reactions caused by noise exposure might also lead to other negative health outcomes. In The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, researchers describe how data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey do not support an association between loud noise exposure and changes in biomarkers for cardiovascular disease or outcomes.
Nuclear reactor components 3D printed by ORNL now installed at TVA Browns Ferry nuclear plant
Four first-of-a-kind 3D-printed fuel assembly brackets, produced at the Department of Energy's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have been installed and are now under routine operating conditions at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Athens, Alabama.
James Kneller: Then and Now / 2011 Early Career Award Winner
At North Carolina State University, associate professor James Kneller studies neutrinos emitted from exploding stars.
Ruben Fair, Accomplished Engineering Expert, to Lead PPPL's ITER Projects Team
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory announced that accomplished engineer Ruben Fair, has been named head of the ITER Department, heading PPPL's ITER Team, which is focused on the design and fabrication of six diagnostics for the international fusion experiment.
Beer Mats Make Bad Frisbees and Why It Matters
Whilst modelling the forces acting upon a thrown beer mat, physicists discover why flat discs have such poor flight potential.
Emergent Magnetic Monopoles Controlled at Room Temperature
Three dimensional (3D) nano-network promise a new era in modern solid state physics with numerous applications in photonics, bio-medicine, and spintronics. The realization of 3D magnetic nano-architectures could enable ultra-fast and low-energy data storage devices. Due to competing magnetic interactions in these systems magnetic charges or magnetic monopoles can emerge, which can be utilized as mobile, binary information carriers.
Scientists Detect Characteristics of the Birth of a Major Challenge to Harvesting Fusion Energy on Earth
Novel camera detects the birth of high-energy runaway electrons, which may lead to determining how to prevent damage caused by the highly energetic particles.
2021 AIP Helleman Fellows to Study Intercellular Communication, History of String Theory, Dark Matter
AIP's Center for History of Physics selects Robert van Leeuwen, Pepijn Moerman, and Jaco de Swart as the recipients of the 2021 AIP Robert H.G. Helleman Memorial Fellowships. The fellowships are made possible by a gift from Robert H.G. Helleman to establish an endowment for supporting young physicists with Dutch citizenship in their pursuit of research activities in physics in the United States.
Travis Sjostrom Honored for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research
Los Alamos scientist Travis Sjostrom has been selected for a 2021 John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research from the American Physical Society (APS).
Measuring Photovoltaic Performance Indoors
As photovoltaic technology continues to progress, PV devices' applications in harvesting energy from indoor ambient light have become more realistic. Some combinations of PV material and light source can be more efficient in converting power than the same material under solar illumination, and a better understanding of these relationships is needed to fully characterize the behavior of solar cells under very low illumination conditions.
Batteryless Pacemaker Could Use Heart's Energy for Power
The cardiac pacemaker of the future could be powered by the heart itself, according to researchers in China. Current cardiac pacemakers use a battery power supply and leads to keep hearts beating regularly. Yi Zhiran and his group are investing batteryless powering and leadless pacing, harvesting kinetic energy from the heart to power the lifesaving device. The energy is harvested by the buckling of the encapsulated structure of the pacemaker, creating buckled piezoelectric energy.
Indoor Lighting Creates Power for Rechargeable Devices, Sensors
As more devices require recharging their batteries, researchers are looking to ambient lighting as a potential source of generating small amounts of power for indoor devices. The researchers used one lighting source, a white LED akin to normal brightness for indoor lights, to test three different modules -- a gallium indium phosphide semiconductor, a gallium arsenide semiconductor, and a silicon semiconductor. The light source peaked in intensity on the shorter wavelengths of light.