Category Physics

A Bio-inspired Mechano-Photonic Artificial Synapse

A bioinspired mechano-photonic artificial synapse
Biological tactile/visual neurons and mechano-photonic artificial synapse. (A) Schematic illustrations of biological tactile/visual sensory system. (B) Schematic diagram of the mechano-photonic artificial synapse based on graphene/MoS2 (Gr/MoS2) heterostructure. (i) Top-view scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the optoelectronic transistor; scale bar, 5 μm. The cyan area indicates the MoS2 flake, while the white strip is graphene. (ii) Illustration of charge transfer/exchange for Gr/MoS2 heterostructure. (iii) Output mechano-photonic signals from the artificial synapse for image recognition. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abd9117

Multifunctional and diverse artificial neural systems can incorporate multimodal plasticity, memory and supervised learning functions ...

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New Class of Versatile, High-Performance Quantum Dots Primed for Medical Imaging, Quantum Computing

A new, highly versatile class of quantum dots excel as single-photon emitters, with applications in biomedical imaging, quantum communication, cybersecurity, and many other fields. Zachary (Zack) Robinson (left) and Vladimir Sayevich (right) are part of the team that has developed these infrared-emitting quantum dots.

A new class of quantum dots deliver a stable stream of single, spectrally tunable infrared photons under ambient conditions and at room temperature, unlike other single photon emitters. This breakthrough opens a range of practical applications, including quantum communication, quantum metrology, medical imaging and diagnostics, and clandestine labeling.

“The demonstration of high single-photon purity in the infrared has immediate utility in areas such as quantum key di...

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Optical Fiber could Boost Power of Superconducting Quantum Computers

White arrow points to tiny fiber running vertically through large metal device (cryostat)
NIST physicists measured and controlled a superconducting quantum bit (qubit) using light-conducting fiber (indicated by white arrow) instead of metal electrical cables like the 14 shown here inside a cryostat. By using fiber, researchers could potentially pack a million qubits into a quantum computer rather than just a few thousand.
Credit: F. Lecocq/NIST

The secret to building superconducting quantum computers with massive processing power may be an ordinary telecommunications technology – optical fiber.

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have measured and controlled a superconducting quantum bit (qubit) using light-conducting fiber instead of metal electrical wires, paving the way to packing a million qubits into a quantum computer rather than ...

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Researchers’ Algorithm Designs Soft Robots that Sense

soft-bodied robots
MIT researchers have developed a deep learning neural network to aid the design of soft-bodied robots, such as these iterations of a robotic elephant.
Credits:Courtesy of the researchers

Researchers developed a deep learning neural network to aid the design of soft-bodied robots. The algorithm optimizes the arrangement of sensors on the robot, enabling it to complete tasks as efficiently as possible.

There are some tasks that traditional robots — the rigid and metallic kind — simply aren’t cut out for. Soft-bodied robots, on the other hand, may be able to interact with people more safely or slip into tight spaces with ease. But for robots to reliably complete their programmed duties, they need to know the whereabouts of all their body parts...

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