Organic electrochemical neurons respond to brain signals in real time, firing at biologically relevant speeds. Their flexibility and low power use could enable soft, implantable systems for closed-loop neuromodulation and future brain–computer interfaces.
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Scientists have discovered a new quantum state of matter that connects two significant areas of physics, potentially leading to advancements in computing, sensing and materials science.
A study published in Nature Physics, co-led by Rice University’s Qimiao Si, brings together quantum criticality, where electrons fluctuate between different phases, and electronic topology, which describes a form of quantum organization based on the wave behavior of electrons.
The researchers found that strong interactions among electrons can produce topological behavior, paving the way for new technologies that could use this quantum state in real-world applications.
Engineers have created a device that generates incredibly tiny, earthquake-like vibrations on a microchip—and it could transform future electronics. Using a new kind of “phonon laser,” the team can produce ultra-fast surface waves that already play a hidden role in smartphones, GPS systems, and wireless tech. Unlike today’s bulky setups, this single-chip device could deliver far higher performance using less power, opening the door to smaller, faster, and more efficient phones and wireless devices.
Scientists have demonstrated a new method that could allow quantum information to be safely backed up, overcoming one of the longest-standing limitations in quantum computing without violating the fundamental laws that govern quantum systems.
The research describes a way to encode the information contained in a qubit across multiple entangled systems, allowing the original quantum state to be recovered later without directly copying it.
Scientists have discovered there is more to Antarctica than meets the eye. A new map of the landscape beneath the frozen continent’s ice sheet has revealed a previously hidden world of mountains, deep canyons and rugged hills in unprecedented detail.
The Antarctic ice sheet is a vast expanse of ice covering approximately 98% of the continent. While the frozen surface has been fairly well-studied, the ground beneath this two-kilometer-thick layer has remained a mystery. In fact, until now, we knew more about the surface of Mars than what lies beneath the bottom of our own planet.
The ice sheet plays a crucial role in our climate. Not only is it a major freshwater reservoir, but its icy surface reflects sunlight, helping cool Earth. But because our computer models are missing key details about the land it sits on, it is difficult to predict factors such as exactly how fast the ice will melt and how much sea levels will rise.
Sometimes to truly study something up close, you have to take a step back. That’s what Andrea Donnellan does. An expert in Earth sciences and seismology, she gets much of her data from a bird’s-eye view, studying the planet’s surface from the air and space, using the data to make discoveries and deepen understanding about earthquakes and other geological processes.
“The history of Earth processes is written in the landscapes,” Donnellan said. “Studying Earth’s surface can help us understand what is happening now and what might happen in the future.”
Donnellan, professor and head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in Purdue’s College of Science, has watched Earth for a long time. Her original research was studying and tracking glaciers in Antarctica.
Professor Dallas Trinkle and colleagues have provided the first quantitative explanation for how magnetic fields slow carbon atom movement through iron, a phenomenon first observed in the 1970s but never fully understood. Published in Physical Review Letters, their computer simulations reveal that magnetic field alignment changes the energy barriers between atomic “cages,” offering potential pathways to reduce the energy costs and CO2 emissions associated with steel processing.
An alloy of iron and carbon, steel is one of the most-used building materials on the planet. Engineering its microstructure requires high temperatures; as a result, most steel processing consumes significant energy. In the 1970s, scientists noted that some steels exhibited better properties when heat treated under a magnetic field—but their ideas explaining this behavior were only conceptual. Understanding the mechanism behind this phenomenon could improve engineers’ ability to control heat treatment, improving material processing and potentially lowering energy costs.
“The previous explanations for this behavior were phenomenological at best,” said Trinkle, the Ivan Racheff Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and the senior author of the paper. “When you’re designing a material, you need to be able to say, ‘If I add this element, this is how (the material) will change.’ And we had no understanding of how this was happening; there was nothing predictive about it.”
One intriguing method that could be used to form the qubits needed for quantum computers involves electrons hovering above liquid helium. But it wasn’t clear how data in this form could be read easily.
Now RIKEN researchers may have found a solution. Their work is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.