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Oct 8, 2024

Infrared Single-Photon Detector for Astronomy

Posted by in categories: cosmology, evolution, physics

An infrared detector is sensitive to a wide range of intensities and could potentially pick up biomarkers from exoplanet atmospheres.

Many areas of astrophysics, cosmology, and exoplanet research would benefit from a highly sensitive and stable detector for light at wavelengths in the 10–100 µm range. Now researchers report building a detector that operates at 25 µm and that is suitable for hours-long operation in a telescope pointed at faint sources [1]. The device exploits the extreme sensitivity to light of a superconducting material patterned into a miniature photo-absorptive structure. The researchers expect that the design will find use in space telescopes launched in the next few years.

Light at wavelengths in the range 10–100 µm may carry crucial spectroscopic clues about biogenic gases in exoplanet atmospheres and could also help astrophysicists pin down details of early planetary formation and galactic evolution. Yet building detectors for this range of wavelengths is challenging for several reasons, says astrophysicist Peter Day of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Because the light from these sources is so faint, the detector has to perform stably over many hours of observation. Each pixel of the detector has to be capable of registering single photons yet also be accurate for sources as much as 100,000 times brighter than the faintest detectable source. The detector must also have an efficient way to read out information rapidly from thousands of identical pixels.

Oct 8, 2024

Positronium Cooled to Record Low Temperature

Posted by in category: futurism

A short-lived combination of an electron and an antielectron has been cooled with lasers to near absolute zero—a step toward tackling fundamental questions about matter and antimatter.

Oct 8, 2024

Efficient way to hydrogenate nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds developed

Posted by in category: chemistry

Successful reduction of the chemical manufacturing industry’s environmental impact relies on finding a greener way to make the chemical building blocks for common and massively consumed compounds.

Oct 8, 2024

Near-Earth asteroid data help probe possible fifth force in universe

Posted by in categories: physics, space

In 2023, the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission returned a sample of dust and rocks collected on the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. In addition to the information about the universe gleaned from the sample itself, the data generated by OSIRIS-REx might also present an opportunity to probe new physics. As described in Communications Physics, an international research team led by Los Alamos National Laboratory used the asteroid’s tracking data to study the possible existence of a fifth fundamental force of the universe.

Oct 8, 2024

Stopping off-the-wall behavior in fusion reactors

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics

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.

Oct 8, 2024

AI predicts optical properties to speed up the discovery of energy and quantum materials

Posted by in categories: quantum physics, robotics/AI

Researchers from Tohoku University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled a new AI tool for high-quality optical spectra with the same accuracy as quantum simulations, but working a million times faster, potentially accelerating the development of photovoltaic and quantum materials.

Oct 8, 2024

Unlocking heat management with quantum thermal transistors

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

Scientists are finding ways to use quantum effects to create groundbreaking thermal devices that can help cool electronic systems. The quantum thermal transistor is one of the most exciting innovations in this field. While the current works surrounding this device are still theoretical, recent advancements in the fabrication of qubits using quantum dots and superconducting circuits have created a growing sense of optimism.

Oct 8, 2024

Chemists use light to replace an oxygen atom with a nitrogen atom in a molecule

Posted by in category: particle physics

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.

Oct 8, 2024

CleanCo to Pilot Australia’s Largest Grid-Connected NAS® Battery at Swanbank Clean Energy Hub

Posted by in categories: energy, engineering

CleanCo is reinforcing its commitment to Queensland’s clean energy future by exploring the potential to trial Australia’s largest grid-connected NAS® Battery Energy Storage System at the Swanbank Clean Energy Hub in Ipswich.


The partnership between Allset and CleanCo is a result of CleanCo’s proactive market engagement to identify emerging energy generation and storage technologies suitable for its Swanbank site. The parties will progress a feasibility study to finalise the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement to support a final investment decision for the battery’s installation.

The Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Energy Storage Research Group will play a key role as the knowledge sharing partner, bringing a wealth of knowledge to the project, having commissioned Australia’s first NAS Battery in 2023.

Continue reading “CleanCo to Pilot Australia’s Largest Grid-Connected NAS® Battery at Swanbank Clean Energy Hub” »

Oct 8, 2024

Scientists Found a Cannabis Compound Inside a Totally Different Plant

Posted by in category: futurism

Scientists have discovered cannabidiol, a compound in cannabis known as CBD, in a common Brazilian plant, opening potential new avenues to produce the increasingly popular substance.

The team found CBD in the fruits and flowers of a plant known as Trema micrantha blume, a shrub which grows across…


Hiding in plain sight!

Continue reading “Scientists Found a Cannabis Compound Inside a Totally Different Plant” »

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