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Category: computing – Page 68

Researchers are first to image directional atomic vibrations

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, together with international collaborators, have developed a new electron microscopy method that has enabled the first-ever imaging of vibrations, or phonons, in specific directions at the atomic scale.

In many crystallized materials, atoms vibrate differently along varying directions, a property known as vibrational anisotropy, which strongly influences their dielectric, thermal and even superconducting behavior. Gaining a deeper understanding of this anisotropy allows engineers to tailor materials for use in electronics, semiconductors, optics and quantum computing.

In a paper published in Nature, the UC Irvine-led team details the workings of its momentum-selective electron energy-loss spectroscopy technique and its power to unveil the fundamental lattice dynamics of functional materials.

‘Drop-printing’ shows potential for constructing bioelectronic interfaces that conform to complex surfaces

With the rapid development of wearable electronics, neurorehabilitation, and brain-machine interfaces in recent years, there has been an urgent need for methods to conformally wrap thin-film electronic devices onto biological tissues to enable precise acquisition and regulation of physiological signals.

Conventional methods typically rely on external pressure to force devices onto conformal contact. However, when applied to uneven three-dimensional surfaces such as skin, brain, or nerves, they generate significant internal stress which can easily damage fragile metal circuits and inorganic chips. This is an obstacle to the advancement of flexible electronics.

In a study published in Science, Prof. Song Yanlin’s team from the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Nanyang Technological University, and Tianjin University, propose a new film transfer strategy named as drop-printing, which has potential applications in bioelectronics, flexible displays, and micro-/nano-manufacturing.

Neutron detector mobilizes muons for nuclear, quantum material

In a collaboration showing the power of innovation and teamwork, physicists and engineers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a mobile muon detector that promises to enhance monitoring for spent nuclear fuel and help address a critical challenge for quantum computing.

Similar to neutrons, scientists use muons, fundamental subatomic particles that travel at nearly the speed of light, to allow scientists to peer deep inside matter at the atomic scale without damaging samples. However, unlike neutrons, which decay in about 10 minutes, muons decay within a couple of microseconds, posing challenges for using them to better understand the world around us.

The new detector achieves an important step toward ensuring the safety and accountability of nuclear materials and supports the development of advanced nuclear reactors that will help address the challenges of waste management. It also acts as a key step toward developing algorithms and methods to manage errors caused by cosmic radiation in qubits, the basic units of information in quantum computing. The development of the muon detector at ORNL reflects the lab’s strengths in discovery science enabled by multidisciplinary teams and powerful research tools to address national priorities.

Quantum scars boost electron transport and drive the development of microchips

Quantum physics often reveals phenomena that defy common sense. A new theory of quantum scarring deepens our understanding of the connection between the quantum world and classical mechanics, sheds light on earlier findings and marks a step forward toward future technological applications.

Quantum mechanics describes the behavior of matter and energy at microscopic scales, where randomness seems to prevail. Yet even within seemingly chaotic systems, hidden order may lie beneath the surface. Quantum scars are one such example: they are regions where prefer to travel along specific pathways instead of spreading out uniformly.

Researchers at Tampere University and Harvard University previously demonstrated in their article published in “Quantum Lissajous Scars” that quantum scars can form strong, distinctive patterns in nanostructures, and that their shapes can even be controlled. Now, the Quantum Control and Dynamics research group at Tampere University’s Physics Unit is taking these findings further. In their new article, the researchers report that quantum scars significantly enhance electron transport in open quantum dots connected to electrodes. The work is published in the journal Physical Review B.

Steam will stop running on Windows 32-bit in January 2026

Valve has announced that its Steam digital distribution service will drop support for 32-bit versions of Windows starting January 2026.

Two years earlier, in January 2024, Steam also dropped support for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1, recommending users to upgrade to a newer operating system.

Although Steam will soon stop running on Windows 10 32-bit (the only 32-bit Windows version still supported), it will continue to be supported on Windows 10 64-bit, and 32-bit games will remain playable.

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