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    Wireles High-Speed Data and Power Transfer Integrated

    September 18, 2017, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Ultra-high Data-rate Communication and Efficient Wireless Power Transfer at 13.56 MHz. IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 2017; 1 DOI: 10.1109/LAWP.2017.2736883

    Ultra-high Data-rate Communication and Efficient Wireless Power Transfer at 13.56 MHz. IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 2017; 1 DOI: 10.1109/LAWP.2017.2736883

    North Carolina State University researchers have developed a system that can simultaneously deliver watts of power and transmit data at rates high enough to stream video over the same wireless connection. By integrating power and high-speed data, a true single “wireless” connection can be achieved. A/Prof David Ricketts said: “One of the most popular applications is in wireless cell phone charging pads. As many know, these unfortunately often require almost physical contact with the pad, limiting the usefulness of a truly ‘wireless’ power source...

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    World 1st: ‘Storing Lightning inside Thunder’

    September 18, 2017, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Basic principle and setup of the photonic–phononic memory. a Storing process: an optical data pulse is depleted by a strong counter-propagating write pulse, storing the data pulse as an acoustic phonon. b Retrieval process: in the retrieval process a read pulse depletes the acoustic wave, converting the data pulse back into the optical domain. c A basic schematic of the experimental setup. The inset shows a chalcogenide chip next to a 50-cent coin. The chip contains more than 100 spiral waveguides with different lengths (8.6, 11.7 and 23.7 cm). Note: this is only a schematic and the actual setup is more advanced and can be found in Supplementary Fig. 1 (CW continuous wave, SSB single-sideband modulator, IM intensity modulator, PG pulse generator, BP bandpass filter, PD photo-detector, LO local oscillator, Ω Brillouin frequency shift)

    Basic principle and setup of the photonic–phononic memory. a Storing process: an optical data pulse is depleted by a strong counter-propagating write pulse, storing the data pulse as an acoustic phonon. b Retrieval process: in the retrieval process a read pulse depletes the acoustic wave, converting the data pulse back into the optical domain. c A basic schematic of the experimental setup. The inset shows a chalcogenide chip next to a 50-cent coin. The chip contains more than 100 spiral waveguides with different lengths (8.6, 11.7 and 23.7 cm). Note: this is only a schematic and the actual setup is more advanced and can be found in Supplementary Fig...

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    Venus’ Mysterious Night Side Revealed

    September 18, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    1. Atmospheric super-rotation at the upper clouds of Venus. Credit: ESA, JAXA, J. Peralta and R. Hueso 2. New types of cloud morphology on Venus. Credit: ESA, NASA, J. Peralta and R. Hueso

    1. Atmospheric super-rotation at the upper clouds of Venus. Credit: ESA, JAXA, J. Peralta and R. Hueso 2. New types of cloud morphology on Venus. Credit: ESA, NASA, J. Peralta and R. Hueso

    Scientists have used ESA’s Venus Express to characterise the wind and upper cloud patterns on the night side of Venus for the first time–with surprising results. The study shows that the atmosphere on Venus’ night side behaves very differently to that on the side of the planet facing the Sun (the ‘dayside’), exhibiting unexpected and previously-unseen cloud types, morphologies, and dynamics – some of which appear to be connected to features on the planet’s surface.

    “This is the first time we’ve been able to characterise how the atmosphere circulates on the night side of Venus on a global scale,” says...

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    Star Formation influenced by Local Environmental Conditions

    September 18, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, consists of more than 100 billion stars. New stars are formed in so-called molecular clouds, where most of the gas is in the form of molecules, and is very cold. In the Milky Way there are many different varieties of molecular clouds, with for example masses ranging from a few hundred to several million times the mass of the Sun. Photo: NASA

    Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, consists of more than 100 billion stars. New stars are formed in so-called molecular clouds, where most of the gas is in the form of molecules, and is very cold. In the Milky Way there are many different varieties of molecular clouds, with for example masses ranging from a few hundred to several million times the mass of the Sun. Photo: NASA

    Star formation: 3 scientists at Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), University of Copenhagen, have carried out extensive computer simulations related to star formation. They conclude that the present idealized models are lacking when it comes to describing details in the star formation process. “Hopefully our results can also help shed more light on planet formation,” says Michael Küffmeier, astrophysicist.

    In order to explain t...

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