Elusive atomic-scale magnetic 'signal' in a Mott insulator revealed
Spin-polarizing scanning tunneling microscopy allowed researchers to detect an elusive atomic-scale magnetic signal in a Mott insulator, reports a team of scientists.
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New insights could help tame speedy ions in fusion plasmas
To create a practical fusion energy reactor, researchers need to control particles known as fast ions. These speedy ions, which are electrically charged hydrogen atoms, provide much of the self-heating ability of the reactor as they collide with other ions. But they can also quickly escape the powerful magnetic fields used to confine them and overheat the walls of the containment vessel, causing damage.
Read moreWorld record acceleration: Zero to 7.8 billion electron volts in 8 inches
To understand the fundamental nature of our universe, scientists would like to build particle colliders that accelerate electrons and their antimatter counterparts (positrons) to extreme energies (up to tera electron volts, or TeV). With conventional technology, however, this requires a machine that is enormously big and expensive (think 20 miles long). To shrink the size and cost of these machines, the acceleration of the particles — how much energy they gain in a given distance — must be increased.
Read moreResearchers watch quantum knots untie
A quantum gas can be tied into knots using magnetic fields. The same researchers who were the first to produce these knots have now studied how the knots behave over time. The surprising result is that the knots untie themselves over a short period of time, before turning into a vortex.
Read moreAtomic images reveal unusually many neighbors for some oxygen atoms
The identification of new chemical bonds is crucial for the design of new material structures. A team has found unexpected new configurations of oxygen and nitrogen in graphene.
Read moreArtificial skin creates first ticklish devices
A new interface takes touch technology to the next level by providing an artificial skin-like membrane for augmenting interactive devices such as phones, wearables or computers.
Read moreDouble layer of graphene helps to control spin currents
In order to make transistors that operate using the spin of electrons, rather than their charge, it is necessary to find a way of switching spin currents on and off. Furthermore, the lifetime of the spins should at least be equal to the time taken for these electrons to travel through a circuit. Scientists have now taken an important step forward by creating a device that meets both of these requirements.
Read morePhysicists develop fast and sensitive mechanical tool to measure light
Physicists have developed a fast and sensitive mechanical tool to measure light. The graphene nanomechanical bolometer is the fastest and most sensitive in its class. It is poised to detect nearly every color of light at high speeds and obtain measurements at and far above room-temperature.
Read more3D printed chocolate without temperature control
A new approach to the 3D printing of chocolate using cold extrusion instead of conventional hot-melt extrusion method eliminates the need for stringent temperature controls, offering wider potential for 3D printing temperature-sensitive food.
Read moreNew paper-based technology allows reliable, low-cost sensing of iron levels in fortified foods
Researchers have developed an affordable, reliable paper-based sensor that works with a cellphone app to detect levels of iron in fortified food products.
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