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Laser diodes are semiconductors that generate light and amplify it using repeated reflection or “optical feedback.” Once the light has achieved desirable optical gain, laser diodes release it as powerful laser beams.

Photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) are advanced where the optical gain is typically distributed laterally to the propagating light within a photonic crystal (PC) structure. They differ from traditional lasers by separating gain, feedback, and emission functions, offering scalable single-mode power and innovative designs. This leads to enhanced performance and new application possibilities.

In a paper that was published in the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics on 20 November 2024, researchers have developed a method to numerically simulate the interaction of light waves within PCSELs.

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A recent study in an animal model provides direct evidence for the role of the vagus nerve in gut microbiome-brain communication, addressing a critical gap in the field.

The research—led by Kelly G. Jameson, as a Ph.D. student in the Hsiao Lab at UCLA—demonstrates a clear causal relationship between and vagal nerve activity. The work is published in the journal iScience.

While the has long been thought to facilitate communication between the gut microbiome—the community of microorganisms living in the intestines—and the brain, direct evidence for this process has been limited. Researchers led by Jameson observed that mice raised without any gut bacteria, known as , exhibited significantly lower activity in their vagus nerve compared to mice with a normal gut microbiome. Notably, when these germ-free mice were introduced to gut bacteria from normal mice, their vagal nerve activity increased to normal levels.

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Researchers from SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) at Osaka University have discovered that temperature-controlled conductive networks in vanadium dioxide significantly improve the sensitivity of silicon devices to terahertz.

Terahertz radiation refers to the electromagnetic waves that occupy the frequency range between microwaves and infrared light, typically from about 0.1 to 10 terahertz (THz). This region of the electromagnetic spectrum is notable for its potential applications across a wide variety of fields, including imaging, telecommunications, and spectroscopy. Terahertz waves can penetrate non-conducting materials such as clothing, paper, and wood, making them particularly useful for security screening and non-destructive testing. In spectroscopy, they can be used to study the molecular composition of substances, as many molecules exhibit unique absorption signatures in the terahertz range.

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A team of scientists has unlocked a new frontier in quantum imaging, using a nanoscale.

The term “nanoscale” refers to dimensions that are measured in nanometers (nm), with one nanometer equaling one-billionth of a meter. This scale encompasses sizes from approximately 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique physical, chemical, and biological properties emerge that are not present in bulk materials. At the nanoscale, materials exhibit phenomena such as quantum effects and increased surface area to volume ratios, which can significantly alter their optical, electrical, and magnetic behaviors. These characteristics make nanoscale materials highly valuable for a wide range of applications, including electronics, medicine, and materials science.

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A large-scale brute force password attack using almost 2.8 million IP addresses is underway, attempting to guess the credentials for a wide range of networking devices, including those from Palo Alto Networks, Ivanti, and SonicWall.

A brute force attack is when threat actors attempt to repeatedly log into an account or device using many usernames and passwords until the correct combination is found. Once they have access to the correct credentials, the threat actors can then use them to hijack a device or gain access to a network.

According to the threat monitoring platform The Shadowserver Foundation, a brute force attack has been ongoing since last month, employing almost 2.8 million source IP addresses daily to perform these attacks.

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Brave Browser is getting a new feature called ‘custom scriptlets’ that lets advanced users inject their own JavaScript into websites, allowing deep customization and control over their browsing experience.

The new feature is coming in Brave Browser version 1.75 for the desktop and is very similar to the popular TamperMonkey and GreaseMonkey browser extensions, which allow users to create “user scripts” that modify the functionality of specific websites.

“Starting with desktop version 1.75, advanced Brave users will be able to write and inject their own scriptlets into a page, allowing for better control over their browsing experience,” explained Brave in the announcement.

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The great solar storm of May 2024, which sparked beautiful auroral displays over much of the world, also created two new radiation belts that were observed with a satellite that came back from the dead.

“This is really stunning,” Xinlin Li, a professor at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, said in a statement. “When we compared the data from before and after the storm, I said, ‘Wow, this is something really new’.”

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In a groundbreaking use of teleportation, critical units of a quantum processor have been successfully spread across multiple computers, proving the potential of distributing quantum modules without compromising on their performance.

While the transfer only took place over a space of two meters (about six feet) in an Oxford University laboratory, the leap was more than enough to emphasize the feasibility of scaling quantum technology by teleporting quantum states across an ‘internet’ of connected systems.

Teleportation is a quirk of physics that only makes sense through a quantum lens, where objects exist in a blur of possible characteristics until processes of measurement force them to adopt each state.

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The surface of Earth’s inner core may be shape-shifting, new research suggests.

The study, published Feb. 10 in the journal Nature, looked at earthquake waves that have skimmed the edge of the inner core, 3,200 miles (5,150 kilometers) deep. It revealed that, even when the core had rotated into a previously observed position, there were often subtle differences.

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