One of the rarest metals on Earth may be an excellent option for enabling future flash memory chips to continue increasing in speed and density, according to a group of researchers in Taiwan, who describe incorporating nanocrystals of iridium into critical components of flash memory in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
Manufacturing semiconductors for electronics involves etching small features onto wafers using lasers, a process that is limited by the wavelength of the light itself. The development of a new, intense 13.5-nm light source will resolve this issue by reducing the feature size by an order of magnitude or so, according to Purdue researchers writing in the Journal of Applied Physics.
Moving a step closer toward quantum computing, a research team in the Netherlands recently fabricated a photodetector based on a single nanowire, in which the active element is a single quantum dot with a volume of a mere 7,000 cubic nanometers. The device is described in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
While the causes of epileptic seizures continue to confound brain researchers, scientists have been exploring how changes in the coordinated activity of brain networks, monitored through electrodes, might help predict impending seizures. A report in the journal CHAOS offers new insight into this possibility.
The Task Force on American Innovation commends the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform for recommending that the nation make predictable and sustained federal investments in research and education a high priority, even as it takes needed action to reduce federal budget deficits.
Researchers in Australia and Canada have developed the first direct approach for identifying packets of air or water, called "coherent sets," that are transported in the atmosphere and ocean and have far-reaching effects on weather and climate. The new methodology, described in the journal CHAOS, has tested significantly better than existing technologies.
Researchers in Arizona have created a material that may be able to sense and heal damage, such as cracking in a fiber reinforced composite. As described in the Journal of Applied Physics, the aim of developing "autonomous adaptive structures" is to mimic the ability of biological systems such as bone to sense the presence of damage, halt its progression, and regenerate itself.
A new laser-beam steering system that aims and focuses bursts of light onto single atoms for use in quantum computers has been demonstrated by researchers in North Carolina and Wisconsin. Described in the journal Applied Physics Letters, the new system is somewhat like the laser-light-show projectors used at rock concerts and planetariums. But it’s much smaller, faster, atom-scale accurate and aimed at the future of computing, not entertainment.
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) announced today the hiring of Darrell W. Gunter as chief commercial officer (CCO). Gunter will join AIP to become part of a core leadership team that will help to reposition and transform AIP’s publishing program to thrive into the 21st century. He will be responsible for delivering AIP Publishing’s global marketing and sales strategy.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the best tools for gaining insight into the structure and dynamics of molecules and how they behave in a variety of chemical environments. Now researchers in New York have described in The Journal of Chemical Physics an alternative way to get this information, by using light to observe nuclei indirectly via the orbiting electrons.
Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have developed a new technique for probing the temperature rise in the vicinity of nanoparticles using fluorescent quantum dots as temperature sensors. The results, published in the Journal of Applied Physics, may have implications for the medical use of nanoparticles.
Researchers in Germany have successfully fabricated a rudimentary quantum computing hybrid system using electronic excitations in nano-diamonds as qubits and optical nanostructures, so-called photonic crystals with tailored optical properties. This architecture may allow integration of multi-qubit systems on a single micrometer-sized chip for future quantum computers.
A broad review of current research on nuclear power economics has been published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. The report concludes that nuclear power will continue to be a viable power source but that the current fuel cycle is not sustainable.
Researchers in Rhode Island, Colorado, and Massachusetts have analyzed the stain patterns left behind by coffee droplets on a surface and are presenting their "coffee ring" models today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, CA -- work that promises to help devise new microphysics tools.
To researchers at the California Institute of Technology, the undulations of the simple invertebrate jellyfish hold secrets that may make possible a new generation of tiny pumps for medical applications and soft robotics -- work described today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) meeting in Long Beach, CA.
New research from the University of South Florida suggests that one of the evolutionary secrets of the shark hides in one of its tiniest traits -- flexible scales on their bodies that allow them to change directions while moving at full speed. This work presented today at the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) annual meeting in Long Beach, CA.
Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a promising new cancer treatment that essentially "fries" cells inside tumors. As described today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) meeting in Long Beach, CA, when the nanoparticles are heated, cancer cells die with no adverse effects to the surrounding healthy tissue.
Researchers in Baltimore, MD and Belgium have developed a model to calculate the optimal spacing of wind turbines for the very large wind farms of the future. They will present their work today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, CA.
New video analysis and mathematical modeling by engineers at Virginia Tech reveals how certain types of snakes can "fly" by flinging themselves off their perches, flattening their bodies, and sailing from tree to tree -- work presented today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) meeting in Long Beach, CA.
Lessons learned from the ocean's largest mammals have inspired United States Naval Academy researchers to tackle one of the serious design challenges facing a technology that uses underwater turbines to convert ocean tides into electricity -- work present today at the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) meeting in Long Beach, CA.
New ideas for enhancing the efficiency of wind turbines are being presented today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, CA. These include a new type intelligent system for turbines operating under many different wind conditions and a way to reduce drag on turbine blades by covering them with tiny grooves.
Engineers at Princeton University have built a robotic jump rope device and used it to study the underlying physics of jumping rope, which they describe today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, CA.
Researchers at Stanford University are using MRI to improve jet engine efficiency -- work described today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) meeting in Long Beach, CA. The technique could also provide insights into other fluid mixing problems, ranging from combustion to the flow of oil through porous rock in a well.
Airplanes do not look much like birds, but should they? This question is exactly what a pair of engineers in California and South Africa inadvertently answered recently in experiments they describe today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, CA.
A team of scientists at Harvard University has reproduced many of the characteristics of real bird song with a simple physical model made of a rubber tube -- work presented today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, CA.
Hummingbirds rank among the world’s most accomplished hovering animals, but how do they manage it in gusty winds? A team of researchers has built a robotic hummingbird wing to discover the answer, which they describe today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, CA.
A mechanical model of human vocal folds and new observations by researchers at George Washington University may lead to new devices to help people afflicted with vocal fold paralysis -- as described today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) meeting in Long Beach, CA.
Scientists who study acoustics (the "science of sound") have over the years developed a variety of techniques to probe the hidden depths of oceans. This week, many of these acoustic researchers will come together to discuss how these technologies were used to monitor April's Deepwater Horizon oil spill, to present new data on the gusher's ecological impacts, and to highlight new techniques under development that could improve our ability to detect oil in ocean water.
U.S. policymakers must focus more closely on developing new energy storage technologies as they consider a national renewable electricity standard, according to one of the principal recommendations in a newly released report, Integrating Renewable Electricity on the Grid, by the American Physical Society’s Panel on Public Affairs (POPA). Establishing a national renewable electricity standard will help to unify the fragmented U.S. grid system—an important step in the wider adoption of using more wind and solar for energy generation.
In a move that holds great significance for the semiconductor industry, a team of researchers in Arizona has created an alternative to conventional logic gates, demonstrated them in silicon, and dubbed them "chaogates," which are described in the journal CHAOS.
While our direct knowledge of black holes in the universe is limited to what we can observe from thousands or millions of light years away, a team of Chinese physicists has proposed a simple way to design an artificial electromagnetic black hole in the laboratory -- described in the Journal of Applied Physics.
When vapor bubbles form and collapse in fluids moving swiftly over steel objects such as those inside fuel pumps, they can damage them. Now an article in the journal Physics of Fluids by researchers in Indiana details the results of the first detailed experiments aimed at preventing cavitation damage in jet fuel pumps, which are essential components in modern aircraft.
The 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society's (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) takes place this month from November 21-23, 2010 at the Long Beach Convention Center, located in downtown Long Beach, California. The largest scientific conference of its type, the meeting brings together thousands of researchers from around the globe to present work in engineering, energy, astronomy, medicine, and more -- all related to different forms of fluid flow.
To keep soldiers in the battlefield healthy, the U.S. Army is exploring new ways to detect harmful bacteria in water.
Paul Montgomery, a graduate student at Pennsylvania State University, is helping design a better cook stove for people in developing countries.
The 2nd Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics -- a major international acoustics conference -- convenes next week at the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Hotel in Cancun, Mexico. Reporters are invited to visit the ASA World Wide Press Room: http://www.acoustics.org/press
Researchers in Japan have developed a new technique for monitoring the heart rate and other vital signs by using microwaves. The work, which could lead to the development of non-invasive, real-time stress sensing in a variety of environments, is described in a recent issue of the journal Review of Scientific Instruments.
A Foucault pendulum is a simple device for observing the Earth’s rotation. While such pendulums have been around for more than 150 years and are a staple of the modern science museum, they are generally large and unwieldy. Now a group of researchers from Argentina has developed a new type of compact pendulum, which they describe in the journal Review of Scientific Instruments.
Researchers in Maryland have proposed a scheme for detecting a concealed source of radioactive material without searching containers one by one. The concept, described in the Journal of Applied Physics, is based on the gamma-ray emission from the radioactive material that would pass through the shipping container walls and ionize the surrounding air.
A switch to wind energy will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- and reduce the global warming they cause. But there's a catch, according to a paper in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy: rising temperatures decrease wind speeds, making for less power bang for the wind turbine buck.
Microscopically porous polymer membranes have numerous applications in microfluidics, where they can act as filters, masks for surface patterning, and even as components in 3D devices. In the AIP journal Biomicrofluidics, chemist in Hong Kong describe a simple new method to fabricate free-standing polymer membranes with neatly patterned holes as small as 10 microns.
November 3, 2010 -- The latest discoveries and innovations in the field of acoustics (the "science of sound") will be presented this month at a major scientific conference in Cancun -- including better ways to power hearing aids, new technologies for monitoring fetal heartbeats, intriguing explorations of the origins of laughter and new insights into the social lives of dolphins.
Many of nature's most fascinating phenomena involve various forms of fluid flow, and scientists who study fluid dynamics investigate everything from the way that dogs shake off water to the formation of proto-planets and coffee rings, the mathematics of flowing blood, the spray from rolling tires, the blowing wind, and a wide range of other questions that impact applications from ship design to medical devices.
October 21, 2010 -- Experts in acoustics (the "science of sound") from around the world will gather in Cancun next month to present their latest discoveries and innovations: cheap, clean stoves for poor countries, ultrasound technologies that count the heartbeats of a fetus, quieter wind turbines, measurements of whale activity in the wake of the recent oil spill and investigations into the origins of laughter.
Over the past decade, a team of scientists in Maryland have been working to stop the threat of terrorist-based attacks in the form of explosives or explosive-based devices, by providing a sound measurement and standard infrastructure.
A team of researchers in North Carolina has discovered that lubricin, a synovial fluid glycoprotein, reduces wear to bone cartilage, a result that has implications for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Just as landscape photographs shot in low-angle light dramatically accentuate subtle swales and mounds, depositing metal vapors at glancing angles turns a rough surface into amazing nanostructures with a vast range of potential properties.
Researchers in Washington State have developed a way to study the effects of supercritical carbon dioxide on minerals commonly found in potential underground storage sites, helping to evaluate one strategy for minimizing the impacts of greenhouse gases on global warming.
Micro-scaled photovoltaic devices may one day be used to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs directly to tumors, rendering chemotherapy less toxic to surrounding tissue.
Scientists in New Mexico are working on a new type of antimicrobial surface that won’t harm people or animals but is inhospitable to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) -- the bacterial cause of an estimated 19,000 deaths and $3-4 billion in healthcare costs per year in the U.S.
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