Lifeboat Foundation

Next-generation technologies, such as leading-edge memory storage solutions and brain-inspired neuromorphic computing systems, could touch nearly every aspect of our lives — from the gadgets we use daily to the solutions for major global challenges. These advances rely on specialized materials, including ferroelectrics — materials with switchable electric properties that enhance performance and energy efficiency.

A research team led by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a novel technique for creating precise atomic arrangements in ferroelectrics, establishing a robust framework for advancing powerful new technologies. The findings are published in Nature Nanotechnology (“On-demand nanoengineering of in-plane ferroelectric topologies”).

“Local modification of the atoms and electric dipoles that form these materials is crucial for new information storage, alternative computation methodologies or devices that convert signals at high frequencies,” said ORNL’s Marti Checa, the project’s lead researcher. “Our approach fosters innovations by facilitating the on-demand rearrangement of atomic orientations into specific configurations known as topological polarization structures that may not naturally occur.” In this context, polarization refers to the orientation of small, internal permanent electric fields in the material that are known as ferroelectric dipoles.

Imposing time-dependent strain on a magnetic disk induces vortex dynamics and offers a path toward energy-efficient spintronic devices.

Nanoscopic magnetic vortices made from electron spins could be used in spintronic computers (see Research News: 3D Magnetism Maps Reveal Exotic Topologies). To this end, researchers need an energy-efficient way to excite these vortices into a so-called gyrotropic mode—an orbital motion of the vortex core around the central point. The direction of this orbital motion would determine which of two binary states the vortex represents. Vadym Iurchuk at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany, and his colleagues have now demonstrated such a method by imposing a time-varying strain on a magnetic material [1].

The excitation of gyration dynamics by an oscillating strain was suggested by a separate team in 2015 [2]. The idea involves depositing a magnetic film, in which magnetic vortices form spontaneously, on a piezoelectric substrate. Applying an alternating voltage to the substrate transfers a time-varying mechanical strain to the film, dynamically perturbing its magnetic texture. This perturbation displaces a vortex core from its equilibrium position, thereby exciting the gyrotropic mode.

Fusion researchers are increasingly turning to the element tungsten when looking for an ideal material for components that will directly face the plasma inside fusion reactors known as tokamaks and stellarators. But under the intense heat of fusion plasma, tungsten atoms from the wall can sputter off and enter the plasma. Too much tungsten in the plasma would substantially cool it, which would make sustaining fusion reactions very challenging.

A team of chemists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has succeeded in pulling an oxygen atom from a molecule and replacing it with a nitrogen atom. In their study, published in the journal Science, the group used photocatalysis to edit a furan in their lab.

New software simulates complex wave scattering for metamaterial design. Could invisibility cloaks become a reality? New research brings this science fiction concept a step closer, with a breakthrough software package that simulates how waves interact with complex materials.

A new software package developed by researchers at Macquarie University can accurately model the way waves — sound, water or light — are scattered when they meet complex configurations of particles.

This will vastly improve the ability to rapidly design metamaterials — exciting artificial materials used to amplify, block or deflect waves.

Researchers have captured the signal of neutrinos from a nuclear reactor using a water-filled neutrino detector, a first for such a device.

Microwaves can control and stabilize diamond qubits, addressing their main challenge:

Researchers from Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have devised a method to precisely control diamond qubits using microwaves.

Continue reading “Microwaves unlock power of uncontrollable diamond qubits in quantum leap” »

Discovering quark behavior: investigating the critical point in quantum chromodynamics.

Solar storms, characterized by sudden explosions of particles, energy, and magnetic fields from the Sun, can create disruptions in Earth’s magnetosphere. As told to NDTV, Dr. Annapurni Subramanian, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, stated, “The (solar) flare which occurred a few days ago is similar in terms of strength to the one which occurred in May.” These flares are known to produce geomagnetic storms that can result in radio blackouts and power outages on Earth.

Recent NDTV reports highlight a series of powerful solar flares emitted by the Sun, including an X7.1 flare on October 1 and an even stronger X9.0 flare on October 3. NASA captured these flares using its Solar Dynamics Observatory, emphasizing their potential to disrupt communication systems. NOAA classified the X9.0 flare as an R3-strength flare, indicating a “strong” potential for radio blackouts.