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    Category Physics

    New record achieved in Terahertz Pulse Generation

    February 13, 2017, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Illustration of a broadband terahertz amplifier based on a quantum cascade laser. It allows for an amplifier range of more than 1 THz and the generation of ultrashort light pulses with record pulse widths of 3 ps. Credit: Image courtesy of Vienna University of Technology, TU Vienna

    Illustration of a broadband terahertz amplifier based on a quantum cascade laser. It allows for an amplifier range of more than 1 THz and the generation of ultrashort light pulses with record pulse widths of 3 ps. Credit: Image courtesy of Vienna University of Technology, TU Vienna

    A group from TU Wien and ETH Zurich have succeeded in their attempts to generate ultrashort terahertz light pulses. With lengths of just a few picoseconds, these pulses are ideally suited to spectroscopic applications and enable extremely precise frequency measurements to be taken. The unique properties of terahertz radiation mean it is of interest for a wide range of potential applications, including non-invasive medical imaging and the detection of hazardous substances...

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    Now you can ‘Build your own’ Bio-Bot

    February 13, 2017, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Biology/Biotechnology

    Bio-bot design process overview.

    (a) Bio-bot design is inspired by biological design in the body. (b) Bio-bot skeletons and muscle bioactuator injection molds are designed using computer-aided design (CAD) software (Steps 1 and 2), (c) tested using finite element analysis (FEA) software (Steps 20–25), and (d) manufactured via stereolithographic 3D printing (Steps 3–10). (e) Muscle rings are tissue-engineered and coupled to bio-bot skeletons (Steps 11–16), and assessed via (f) immunohistochemical staining (Step 26) and (g) externally stimulated force production (Step 19). Each step of the design process (a–g) is iterative, and feedback from each step is used to improve the functionality of the bio-bot with each iteration. Scale bars, 2 mm (e); 500 μm (f). a,c,f adapted with permission from ref...

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    Dual-function Nanorod LEDs could make Multifunctional displays

    February 11, 2017, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    A laser stylus writes on a small array of multifunction pixels made by dual-function LEDs than can both emit and respond to light. Credit: Image courtesy of Moonsub Shim, University of Illinois

    A laser stylus writes on a small array of multifunction pixels made by dual-function LEDs than can both emit and respond to light. Credit: Image courtesy of Moonsub Shim, University of Illinois

    Cellphones and other devices could soon be controlled with touchless gestures and charge themselves using ambient light, thanks to new LED arrays that can both emit and detect light. Made of tiny nanorods arrayed in a thin film, the LEDs could enable new interactive functions and multitasking devices. “These LEDs are the beginning of enabling displays to do something completely different, moving well beyond just displaying information to be much more interactive devices,” said Prof. Moonsub Shim. “That can become the basis for new and interesting designs for a lot of electronics...

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    Ancient Signals from the Early Universe

    February 11, 2017, Categories  Physics, Astronomy/Space

    A still image from a computer simulation of an oscillon, a strong localized fluctuation of the inflaton field of the early universe. According to the calculations of Prof. Stefan Antusch and his team, oscillons produced a characteristic peak in the otherwise broad spectrum of gravitational waves. Credit: University of Basel, Department of Physics

    A still image from a computer simulation of an oscillon, a strong localized fluctuation of the inflaton field of the early universe. According to the calculations of Prof. Stefan Antusch and his team, oscillons produced a characteristic peak in the otherwise broad spectrum of gravitational waves. Credit: University of Basel, Department of Physics

    For the 1st time, theoretical physicists from the University of Basel have calculated the signal of specific gravitational wave sources that emerged fractions of a second after the Big Bang. The source of the signal is a long-lost cosmological phenomenon called “oscillon...

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