Physics
press releases.

Physics15 Jul 2024

Biodegradable electronics may advance with ability to control dissolve rate

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Biodegradable electronics allow for medical devices — such as drug delivery systems, pacemakers or neural implants — to safely degrade into materials that are absorbed by the body after they are no longer needed. But if the water-soluble devices degrade too quickly, they cannot accomplish their purpose. Now, researchers have developed the ability to control the dissolve rate of these biodegradable electronics by experimenting with dissolvable elements, like inorganic fillers and polymers, that encapsulate the device. The team, led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, the James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor ...

Read the release

Physics12 Jul 2024

Neutrons give a hot new way to measure the temperature of electronic components

Osaka, Japan – From LEDs to batteries, our lives are full of electronics, and there is a constant push to make them more efficient and reliable. But as components become increasingly sophisticated, getting reliable temperature measurements of specific elements inside an object can be a challenge. This is problematic because measuring a device’s temperature is vital for monitoring its performance or designing the materials from which it’s manufactured. Now, in a new study led by Osaka ...

Read the release

Physics12 Jul 2024

Light-induced Meissner effect in optically driven YBa2Cu3O6.48

Superconductivity is a fascinating phenomenon, which allows a material to sustain an electrical current without any loss. This collective quantum behavior of matter only appears in certain conductors at temperatures far below ambient. A number of modern studies have investigated this behavior in so-called non-equilibrium states, that is in situations in which the material is pushed away from thermal equilibrium. In these conditions, it appears that at least some of the features of superconductivity can be recreated even at ambient temperatures. Such non-equilibrium high temperature superconductivity, shown to exist under irradiation ...

Read the release

Physics11 Jul 2024

Structured electrons with chiral mass and charge

Have you ever placed the palm of your left hand on the back of your right hand, in such a way that all fingers point in the same direction? If you have, then you probably know that your left thumb will not touch its right counterpart. Neither rotations nor translations nor their combinations can turn a left hand into a right hand and vice versa. This feature is called chirality. Scientists at the University of Konstanz have now succeeded to imprint such a three-dimensional chirality onto the wave function of a single electron. They used laser light to shape the electron’s matter wave into left-handed or right-handed coils ...

Read the release

Physics11 Jul 2024

Understanding the origin of superconductivity in high-temperature copper oxide superconductors

Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance when cooled to a certain temperature, called the critical temperature. They have applications in many fields, including power grids, maglev trains, and medical imaging. High-temperature superconductors, which have critical temperatures higher than normal superconductors have significant potential for advancing these technologies. However, the mechanisms behind their superconductivity remain unclear. Copper oxides or cuprates, a class of high-temperature superconductors, exhibit superconductivity ...

Read the release

Physics10 Jul 2024

SLAC’s high-speed electron camera uncovers a new ‘light-twisting’ behavior in an ultrathin material

While taking snapshots with the high-speed “electron camera” at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Acceleratory Laboratory, researchers discovered new behavior in an ultrathin material that offers a promising approach to manipulating light that will be useful for devices that detect, control or emit light, collectively known as optoelectronic devices, and investigating how light is polarized within a material. Optoelectronic devices are used in many technologies that touch our daily lives, including ...

Read the release

Physics10 Jul 2024

Spectacular auroras are caused by head-on blows to Earth’s magnetic field that could damage critical infrastructure

Auroras have inspired myths and portents for millennia — but only now, with modern technology dependent on electricity, are we appreciating their true power. The same forces which cause auroras also cause currents that can damage infrastructure which conducts electricity, like pipelines. Now scientists writing in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences have demonstrated that the impact angle of interplanetary shocks is key to the currents’ strength, offering an opportunity to forecast dangerous shocks and shield critical infrastructure. “Auroras and geomagnetically induced currents are ...

Read the release

Physics8 Jul 2024

Super-resolution machining of single crystalline sapphire by GHz burst mode femtosecond laser-induced plasma assisted ablation

A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances; DOI 10.29026/oea.2024.240029 , discusses super-resolution machining of single crystalline sapphire by GHz burst mode femtosecond laser-induced plasma assisted ablation. GHz burst-mode femtosecond (fs) laser, which emits a series of pulse trains (burst pulse) with extremely short intervals of several hundred ps, offers distinct characteristics in materials processing as compared with conventional fs laser (single-pulse mode). The authors of this article have demonstrated that the GHz burst mode fs laser greatly improves ablation efficiency, quality and speed. GHz burst mode fs laser was further applied ...

Read the release

Physics4 Jul 2024

Exploring the casque anatomy of aerial jousting helmeted hornbills

New research reveals how the surprising internal anatomy of the helmeted hornbill’s casque allows it to withstand damage during aerial jousting battles with rivals. Researchers hope that this new understanding can help to conserve this critically endangered species, as well as provide new insights into developing impact-resistant bio-mimetic materials. “When I started in Hong Kong, I visited City University of Hong Kong (HKU)’s conservation forensics group to chat about their research and they introduced me to this amazing bird, to its ...

Read the release

Physics4 Jul 2024

Single atoms show their true color

One of the challenges of cramming smarter and more powerful electronics into ever-shrinking devices is developing the tools and techniques to analyze the materials that make them up with increasingly intimate precision. Physicists at Michigan State University have taken a long-awaited step on that front with an approach that combines high-resolution microscopy with ultrafast lasers. The technique, described in the journal Nature Photonics, enables researchers to spot misfit atoms in semiconductors with unparalleled precision. Semiconductor physics labels these atoms as “defects,” which sounds negative, but they’re ...

Read the release

Physics4 Jul 2024

Hitachi’s holography electron microscope attains unprecedented resolution

Tokyo, Japan—A research team from Japan, including scientists from Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE 6501, Hitachi), Kyushu University, RIKEN, and HREM Research Inc. (HREM), has achieved a major breakthrough in the observation of magnetic fields at unimaginably small scales. In collaboration with National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), the team used Hitachi’s atomic-resolution holography electron microscope—with a newly developed image acquisition technology and defocus correction algorithms—to visualize ...

Read the release

Physics3 Jul 2024

Mapping the surfaces of MXenes, atom by atom, reveals new potential for the 2D materials

In the decade since their discovery at Drexel University, the family of two-dimensional materials called MXenes has shown a great deal of promise for applications ranging from water desalination and energy storage to electromagnetic shielding and telecommunications, among others. While researchers have long speculated about the genesis of their versatility, a recent study led by Drexel and the University of California, Los Angeles, has provided the first clear look at the surface chemical structure foundational to MXenes’ capabilities. Using advanced imaging techniques, known as ...

Read the release

Physics27 Jun 2024

From a Pompeii-like ash burial in Morrocco: Pristine 3D anatomy of Cambrian trilobites

Thanks to being rapidly entombed in volcanic ash – in a “Pompeii-like” process – Cambrian-age trilobites’ anatomy is more discernable than ever, via exquisitely preserved fossils. The fossils uncovered in Morrocco are reported in a new study that reveals microscopic details including of trilobite appendages and the trilobite digestive system. Trilobites are perhaps the most well-known creatures that lived during the Cambrian Period. These extinct marine arthropods’ hard exoskeleton lends itself to high fossilization potential, facilitating the identification of more ...

Read the release

Physics26 Jun 2024

Time-compression in electron microscopy

Scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany have advanced ultrafast electron microscopy to unprecedented time resolution. Reporting in Science Advances, the research team presents a method for the all-optical control, compression, and characterization of electron pulses within a transmission electron microscope using terahertz light. Additionally, the researchers have discovered substantial anti-correlations in the time domain for two-electron and three-electron states, providing deeper insight into the quantum physics of ...

Read the release

Physics26 Jun 2024

El Niño forecasts extended to 18 months with innovative physics-based model

Across Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and the Americas, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) brings variations in winds, weather, and ocean temperature that can cause droughts, floods, crop failures, and food shortages. Recently, the world has experienced a major El Niño event in 2023-2024, dramatically impacting weather, climate, ecosystems, and economies globally. By developing an innovative modeling approach, researchers from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University ...

Read the release

Physics26 Jun 2024

Navigating the fine line between performance and safety in sports: Insights from landing mechanics research

The recent study by Datao Xu and his team at Ningbo University has unveiled important strategies that can be applied in athletic training and rehabilitation to curb the high rates of lower limb injuries. Their research meticulously analyzes the mechanics of single-leg landings—a common move in various sports—to propose enhanced landing techniques that not only aim to protect athletes but also improve their performance by enabling quicker recovery and continuation in sports activities. One of the study’s most significant contributions is its detailed exploration of the role of ankle dynamics in absorbing landing impacts. ...

Read the release

Physics25 Jun 2024

Physical, sexual, and intimate partner violence among transgender and gender-diverse individuals

About The Study: In this survey study of adults in California, results showed that transgender and gender-diverse individuals, especially transgender men, are at higher risk of experiencing all forms of violence relative to cisgender women. Results highlight the need for gender-affirming violence prevention and intervention services as well as policies that protect transgender and gender-diverse individuals from discriminatory violence. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sabrina ...

Read the release

Physics25 Jun 2024

DGIST-POSTECH joint research team developed next-generation impact-resistant stretchable electronic component

□ Professor Kyung-In Jang’s research team from the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering at DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee) has succeeded in developing a highly stable stretchable electronic device, which overcomes the mechanical limitations of conventional inorganic materials and enhances their stretchability and durability. In collaboration with Professor Taeho Park’s team from the Department of Chemical Engineering at POSTECH (President Seong-Keun Kim), the research team has developed a stretchable hybrid polymer and applied it to electronic devices, enabling them to operate stably even under deformation ...

Read the release

Physics24 Jun 2024

Engineers developing atom-thick material for efficient, ultrafast, light-based electronics

AMES, Iowa – A Google Cloud video takes you inside a company data center in southwest Iowa’s Council Bluffs. There you are, in the middle of a long, industrial corridor. You slowly move past rack after rack after rack of the computer servers that are, Google says, “helping to keep the internet humming 24/7.” Part of that hum is the power that keeps those data centers up and running. “Think about when you use your computer,” said Matthew ...

Read the release

Physics24 Jun 2024

Kennesaw State University researcher to analyze electromagnetic waves with help of grant

The stereotype of mathematics and mathematicians involves a solitary pursuit of knowledge, but Eric Stachura knows better. The Kennesaw State University assistant professor of mathematics works on quantitative analysis of electromagnetic waves and keeps a collaborative research practice with colleagues near and far. That partnership has led to a three-year grant worth $223,206 from the Army Research Office, a director of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory. “It is a very collaborative subject, ...

Read the release

Physics24 Jun 2024

Discovery of spontaneous inflow and outflow states of high-temperature plasma by energetic ions

Background In the realm of fusion research, the control of plasma density, temperature, and heating is crucial for enhancing reactor performance. Effective confinement of plasma particles and heat, especially maintaining high density and temperature at the core where fusion occurs is essential. In the Large Helical Device (LHD)*1, challenges persist as the electron density profile often remains flat or even depressed at the center, complicating effort to sustain high central density. Results The LHD is equipped with five neutral beam (NB) injectors*3 for plasma ...

Read the release

Physics20 Jun 2024

Improving crops with laser beams and 3D printing

A demonstration of how new technologies can be used in 21st century crop breeding comes from just published research that combines Laser Scanning and 3D printing to create a detailed 3D model of a sugar beet plant. Taking the next step beyond having genetic information to guide intelligent breeding, the 3D plant models here capture the essential characteristics of the above-ground parts of the sugar beet plant and can be used for AI-assisted crop improvement pipelines. The sugar beet plant models are reproducible and fit for field use. All the research information, data, methodology, as well as the 3D printing files are freely ...

Read the release

Physics18 Jun 2024

What happens when neutron stars collide?

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When stars collapse, they can leave behind incredibly dense but relatively small and cold remnants called neutron stars. If two stars collapse in close proximity, the leftover binary neutron stars spiral in and eventually collide, and the interface where the two stars begin merging becomes incredibly hot. New simulations of these events show hot neutrinos — tiny, essentially massless particles that rarely interact with other matter — that are created during the collision can be briefly trapped at these interfaces and remain out of equilibrium with the cold cores of the merging stars for 2 to 3 milliseconds. ...

Read the release

Physics18 Jun 2024

Authority's physical proximity means greater obedience. New look at results of famous experiment

Who should be spared pain, hurt or disappointment, and who should be harmed? This internal dilemma accompanied the participants of the Milgram experiment, say experts from SWPS University. They have revisited the causes of obedience in that famous study and showed that the experimenter's physical proximity promote subjects' obedience, while the learner's physical proximity decreases it. American social psychologist Stanley Milgram's demonstration of the human tendency to show extreme obedience to authority was one of the most ...

Read the release

Physics17 Jun 2024

Electronic cigarettes vs varenicline for smoking cessation in adults

About The Study: This randomized clinical trial found that varenicline and nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes were both effective in helping individuals in quitting smoking conventional cigarettes for up to 6 months. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Anna Tuisku, Ph.D., email anna.tuisku@lapha.fi. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.1822) Editor’s Note: Please see the article ...

Read the release