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    Category Physics

    Precise Quantum Cloning: Possible Pathway to Secure Communication

    October 27, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Beam of light passing through splitter. Credit: Lee Henderson/UNSW

    Beam of light passing through splitter. Credit: Lee Henderson/UNSW

    Physicists at ANU and UQ have produced near-perfect clones of quantum information using a new method to surpass previous cloning limits. A global race is on to use quantum physics for ultra-secure encryption over long distances according to Prof Ping Koy Lam, node director of ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) at ANU. The new cloning method uses high performance optical amplifiers to clone light encoded with quantum information – it is possible this technique could allow quantum encryption to be implemented with existing fibre optic infrastructure.

    “One obstacle to sending quantum information is that the quantum state degrades before reaching its destination...

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    3D-Printed Structures Shrink when Heated

    October 26, 2016, Categories  Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology, Physics

    3d-printed-structures-shrink-when-heated-science-astronomy-medical-news-up_2016-10-26_14-15-26

    (a) Schematic of the multimaterial projection microstereolithography system. [(b) and (e)] Computer-aided designs and fabricated samples in [(c) and (f)] three-dimensional and [(d) and (g)] two-dimensional views of the fabricated unit cell and 2 by 2 lattice, respectively.

    Counterintuitive ‘metamaterial’ may enable heat-resistant circuit boards. Almost all solid materials, from rubber and glass to granite and steel, inevitably expand when heated. Only in very rare instances do certain materials buck this thermodynamic trend and shrink with heat. Eg, cold water will contract when heated 0 – 4C, before expanding. Engineers from MIT, the University of Southern California, and elsewhere are now adding to this curious class of heat-shrinking materials...

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    3D-printed Magnets: How can you produce a Magnet with exactly the right magnetic field?

    October 26, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    A magentic cup-like shape, created in the 3D-printer. Credit: Image courtesy of Vienna University of Technology

    A magentic cup-like shape, created in the 3D-printer. Credit: Image courtesy of Vienna University of Technology

    For the 1st time, magnets can be made with a 3D printer. It is difficult to produce a permanent magnet with a magnetic field of a specific pre-determined shape. That is, until now, thanks to TU Wien: for the first time ever, permanent magnets can be produced using a 3D printer. This allows magnets to be produced in complex forms and precisely customised magnetic fields, required, for example, in magnetic sensors.

    “The strength of a magnetic field is not the only factor,” says Dieter Süss, Head of Christian-Doppler Advanced Magnetic Sensing and Materials lab, TU Wien...

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    Turning your Living room into a Wireless Charging Station

    October 25, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Turning your living room into a wireless charging station

    This graphic illustrates how a flat-screen Fresnel zone wireless power transfer system could charge smart devices in your living room. Credit: Duke University

    A flat-screen panel that resembles a TV on your living room wall could one day remotely charge any device within its line of sight. Engineers at the University of Washington, Duke University and Intellectual Ventures’ Invention Science Fund (ISF) show that the technology already exists to build such a system—it’s only a matter of taking the time to design it. “There is an enormous demand for alternatives to today’s clunky charging pads and cumbersome cables, which restrict the mobility of a smart phone or a tablet...

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