Category Physics

Electron spin. Spin, an intrinsic property of electrons, is related to the dynamics of electrons excited as a result of singlet fission – a process which could be used to extract energy in future solar cell technologies. Credit: Image provided by Leah Weiss

Physicists have successfully employed a powerful technique for studying electrons generated through singlet fission, a process which it is believed will be key to more efficient solar energy production in years to come. Their approach, reported in the journal Nature Physics, employed lasers, microwave radiation and magnetic fields to analyse the spin of excitons, which are energetically excited particles formed in molecular systems.

These are generated as a result of singlet fission, a process that researchers around the world are try...

A 2-mL “puddle” of water spontaneously jumps from a hydrophobic surface upon release into a freefall. Credit: Weislogel

Droplets in space can grow freakishly large and bounce off nonwetting surfaces in truly unearthly ways. Astronauts frequently encounter huge droplets, and Scott Kelly recently demonstrated their unusual behavior aboard the International Space Station (ISS) via water balls and a hydrophobic ping pong paddle. To explore the dynamics of these gigantic droplets, a group of researchers led by Mark Weislogel, a professor within the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at Portland State University in Oregon, is generating and studying them right here on Earth.

How, you ask? They simply form a puddle on a flat nonwetting surface and drop it 6 stories in a “tower drop...

Assistant Professor Arkadiy Lyakh of UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center has developed the most efficient Quantum Cascade Laser ever.

A team of UCF researchers has produced the most efficient quantum cascade laser ever designed – and done it in a way that makes the lasers easier to manufacture. Quantum cascade lasers, or QCLs, are tiny – smaller than a grain of rice – but they pack a punch. Compared to traditional lasers, QCLs offer higher power output and can be tuned to a wide range of infrared wavelengths. They can also be used at room temperature without the need for bulky cooling systems.

But because they’re difficult and costly to produce, QCLs aren’t used much outside the Department of Defense...

Artist”s impression of a single-atom electron spin, hosted in a silicon crystal and dressed by an oscillating electromagnetic field. Credit: Arne Laucht/UNSW

Australian engineers have created a new quantum bit which remains in a stable superposition for 10 times longer than previously achieved, dramatically expanding the time during which calculations could be performed in a future silicon quantum computer. The new quantum bit, made up of the spin of a single atom in silicon and merged with an electromagnetic field – known as ‘dressed qubit’ – retains quantum information for much longer that an ‘undressed’ atom, opening up new avenues to build and operate the superpowerful quantum computers of the future.

Andrea Morello,CQC2T, UNSW said:”Our decade-long research program had already establi...