Category Physics

The discovery opens up the possibilities to use carbon in more powerful batteries, driving down the costs of portable power. Lithium ion batteries power many devices, from smartphones and digital cameras all the way up to cars and even aircraft. The batteries work by having 2 electrically charged materials suspended in a liquid to produce a current. Carbon is used as one of those materials in smaller batteries, but for bigger, more powerful batteries – such as those used in electric cars – carbon is not suitable because of its structure, which cannot produce the required current density.

Collecting candle soot from the (a) tip of the flame and (b) middle of the flame. SS current collector (c) before and (d) after deposition of carbon soot.

Dr. Chandra Sharma and Dr...

Assembly of the Majorana Demonstrator Module 1 detectors. Twenty-nine detectors are arranged in seven strings and mounted in an ultra-low-radioactivity copper cryostat. The array is assembled inside a nitrogen-purged glovebox to avoid exposure to naturally occurring radon in the air. Credit: Image courtesy of Sanford Underground Research Facility

In 2014, the Majorana Demonstrator started its search for neutrinoless double beta decay. Observation of this decay would have profound implications for our understanding of physics, including providing hints as to how the Big Bang produced more matter than it did antimatter. The 1st of 2 modules, with >22 kg of high purity germanium detectors, has been turned on.

The Majorana experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay in ger...

Distribution of the 40 nonsynonymous MT2 variants identified by exon resequencing.

New light has been shed on why people who carry a common genetic melatonin receptor mutation may be more at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. By carefully studying healthy subjects, researchers were able to chart the effect of melatonin supplements on blood sugar control. Their results suggest that taking melatonin close to mealtimes may put people with a common genetic variant more at risk.

As many as 50% of people of European ancestry carry this genetic variation in MTNR1B, a gene that encodes a melatonin receptor...

Graphene/WSe2 (2-D material)/graphene heterostructure. Credit: ICFO-Fabien Vialla

A 2D crystal, combined with graphene, has the capability to detect optical pulses with a response faster than 10 picoseconds, while maintaining a high efficiency, a new study demonstrates. Ultra-fast detection of light lies at the heart of optical communication systems nowadays. Driven by the internet of things and 5G, data communication bandwidth is growing exponentially, thus requiring even faster optical detectors that can be integrated into photonic circuits.

Prof Frank Koppens’s team has shown that a 2D crystal, combined with graphene, has the capability to detect optical pulses with a response faster than 10 picoseconds, while maintaining a high efficiency...