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    Category Physics

    Researchers uncover Unique Properties of a promising New Superconductor

    June 17, 2021, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    A diagram depicting the different s-, p-, and d-wave superconducting states in the metal Niobium diselenide.
    A team of physicists led by the University of Minnesota has discovered that the unique superconducting metal Niobium diselenide (NbSe2) is more resilient when used as a very thin layer. The above diagram depicts the different s-, p-, and d-wave superconducting states in the metal. Photo credit: Alex Hamill and Brett Heischmidt, University of Minnesota

    Material could be used in future quantum computing applications. An international team of physicists led by the University of Minnesota has discovered that a unique superconducting metal is more resilient when used as a very thin layer. The research is the first step toward a larger goal of understanding unconventional superconducting states in materials, which could possibly be used in quantum computing in the future.

    The collaboratio...

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    Researchers can Turn a Single Photo into a Video

    June 16, 2021, Categories  Technology/Electronics, Physics

    A GIF that showcases symmetric splatting -- starts out with two waterfalls. On the right, the waterfall starts losing pixels at the top because they are moving to the bottom. On the left, the waterfall starts losing pixels at the bottom because they are moving to the top. At the end of this GIF, the two waterfalls are combined into one so that there are no holes.
    To animate the image, the team created “symmetric splatting,” which predicts both the future and the past for an image and then combines them into one animation.Hołyński et al./CVPR

    Researchers have developed a deep learning method that can produce a seamlessly looping, realistic looking video from a single photo. Sometimes photos cannot truly capture a scene. How much more epic would that vacation photo of Niagara Falls be if the water were moving?

    Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a deep learning method that can do just that: If given a single photo of a waterfall, the system creates a video showing that water cascading down. All that’s missing is the roar of the water and the feeling of the spray on your face.

    The team’s method can animate any fl...

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    Engineers devise novel approach to Wirelessly Power Wearable Devices

    June 16, 2021, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    A team led by Associate Professor Jerald Yoo (left) has developed a novel wireless powering solution for wearables. With him are two team members: Ms Li Jiamin (centre), who has a transmitter on her right wrist and a receiver connected to a smart watch on her left wrist, and Mr Dong Yilong (right) who is holding a panel displaying the technology.

    Researchers have come up with a way to use one single device – such as a mobile phone or smartwatch – to wirelessly power up to 10 wearables on a user. This novel method uses the human body as a medium for transmitting power. Their system can also harvest unused energy from electronics in a typical home or office environment to power the wearables.

    Advancements in wearable technology are reshaping the way we live, work and play, and also ho...

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    Novel Materials: Sound Waves Traveling Backwards

    June 14, 2021, Categories  Physics

    Designed elastic metamaterial structure made of a single linear elastic material. (Illustration: Dr. Yi Chen, KIT)
    Designed elastic metamaterial structure made of a single linear elastic material. (Illustration: Dr. Yi Chen, KIT)

    Acoustic waves in gases, liquids, and solids usually travel at an almost constant speed of sound. So-called rotons are an exception: their speed of sound changes significantly with the wavelength, and it is also possible that the waves travel backwards. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are studying the possibilities of using rotons in artificial materials. These computer-designed metamaterials, produced by ultra-precise 3D laserprinting, might be used in the future to manipulate or direct sound in ways that have never been possible before. A report on the researchers’ work has been published in Nature Communications.

    Rotons are quasiparticles, whic...

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