Jan 18, 2024 (Nanowerk News) At the heart of global internet connectivity, optical communications form an indispensable foundation. Key to this foundation are optical isolators, created by combining multiple components. The result is a complex structure that transmits light in only one direction, to prevent damage to lasers and minimize...
Seeing the shape of atomic nuclei
Jan 18, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Scientists have developed a new way to study the shapes of atomic nuclei and their internal building blocks. The method relies on modeling the production of certain particles from high-energy collisions of electrons with nuclear targets. Such collisions will take place at the future Electron-Ion...
AI-based algorithm enables better genetic diagnoses
Jan 17, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A team from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), the Faculty of Medicine at Kiel University and the University of Lübeck has developed an algorithm that uses machine learning to predict whether gene variants can be responsible for certain diseases....
Looking inside a solar cell
Jan 17, 2024 (Nanowerk News) In a ground-breaking study published in Nature Energy ("Charge-carrier-concentration inhomogeneities in alkali-treated Cu(In,Ga)Se2 revealed by conductive atomic force microscopy tomography"), researchers from the Nanostructured Solar Cells group have unveiled critical insights into the optimisation of thin-film solar cells, shedding light on methods to enhance their...
Webb shows many early galaxies looked like pool noodles, surfboards
Jan 17, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers analyzing images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found that galaxies in the early universe are often flat and elongated, like surfboards and pool noodles – and are rarely round, like volleyballs or frisbees. “Roughly 50 to 80% of the galaxies we studied...
Tailoring high-tech applications with single-nanometer magnetic tunnel junction technology
Jan 17, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Tohoku University have developed guidelines for a single-nanometer magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), allowing for performance tailoring to meet the requirements of diverse applications, ranging from AI/IoT to automobiles and space technologies. The breakthrough will lead to high-performance spintronic non-volatile memory, compatible with state-of-the-art...
Astronomers detect oldest black hole ever observed
Jan 17, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers have discovered the oldest black hole ever observed, dating from the dawn of the universe, and found that it is ‘eating’ its host galaxy to death. The international team, led by the University of Cambridge, used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to...
Leaf-inspired nanogenerators use rain and wind to generate green electricity sustainably
Jan 17, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Scientists have developed an innovative new device that can harness energy from raindrops and wind, converting it into usable electricity to power electronics. This technology, described in a paper published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering ("Multisource Energy Harvester on Textile and Plants for Clean...
Higher measurement accuracy opens new window to the quantum world
Jan 17, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Using the well-known terbium titanate as an example, the team demonstrated that the method delivers highly reliable results. The thermal Hall effect provides information about coherent multi-particle states in quantum materials, based on their interaction with lattice vibrations (phonons). The laws of quantum physics apply...
Graphene at sub-nanometer scale unlocks intense quantum light interactions
Jan 17, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Since its isolation in 2004, graphene has captivated researchers with its roster of incredible properties from mechanical strength surpassing steel to electrical conductivity rivaling silver. Yet the often hyped “wonder” material has so far failed to meet its immense promise revolutionizing industries from electronics to...