Category Physics

In certain materials, light waves can change their direction of polarization. Credit: TU Wien

The ‘quantized magneto-electric effect’ has been demonstrated for the first time in topological insulators at TU Wien, which is set to open up new and highly accurate methods of measurement. A light wave sent through empty space always oscillates in the same direction. However, certain materials can be used to rotate the direction in which the light is oscillating in a magnetic field, ie ‘magneto-optical’ effect. Rather than switching the direction of the light wave continually,’topological insulators’ do so in quantum steps in clearly defined portions. The extent of these quantum steps depends solely on fundamental physical parameters, such as the fine-structure constant...

A self-healing structural color hydrogel inspired by nature A set of self-healing hydrogel films with different structural colors. Credit: Yuanjin Zhao.

A team of researchers at Southeast University in China has developed a self-healing structural hydrogel with a wide variety of applications. It has been noted for several years that one area where humanoid robots are lacking is skin tone—most robots have a pasty white complexion, which is both disturbing and likely to lead to social problems once robots become mainstream. Most artificial skin is not able to heal itself, which means that robots need skin replacement if it gets damaged or accidentally colored in undesirable ways. There is also the issue of colors fading...

Assessing competing fundamental magnetic interactions. From: Long-range ferrimagnetic order in a two-dimensional supramolecular Kondo lattice

Achieving magnetic order in low-dimensional systems consisting of only 1 or 2 dimensions has been a research goal for some time. In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, Uppsala researchers show that magnetic order can be created in a two-dimensional chessboard lattice consisting of organometallic molecules that are only one atomic layer thick.

Magnetic order is a common phenomenon in 3D materials, such as ferromagnetic order in iron bar magnets, where the magnetic moments on all iron atoms point in the same direction...