Lifeboat Foundation

Fusion reactor technologies are well-positioned to contribute to our future power needs in a safe and sustainable manner. Numerical models can provide researchers with information on the behavior of the fusion plasma, as well as valuable insight on the effectiveness of reactor design and operation. However, to model the large number of plasma interactions requires a number of specialized models that are not fast enough to provide data on reactor design and operation.

Aaron Ho from the Science and Technology of Nuclear Fusion group in the department of Applied Physics at Eindhoven University of Technology has explored the use of machine learning approaches to speed up the numerical simulation of core plasma turbulent transport. Ho defended his thesis on March 17^th.

The ultimate goal of research on fusion reactors is to achieve a net power gain in an economically viable manner. To reach this goal, large intricate devices have been constructed, but as these devices become more complex, it becomes increasingly important to adopt a predict-first approach regarding its operation. This reduces operational inefficiencies and protects the device from severe damage.

A research team led by Professor Pan Jianwei and Professor Xu Feihu from University of Science and Technology of China achieved single-photon 3D imaging over 200 km using high-efficiency optical devices and a new noise-suppression technique, which was commented on by the reviewer as an almost “heroic” attempt at single photon lidar imaging at very long distances.

Lidar imaging technology has enabled high precision 3D imaging of target scenes in recent years. Single photon imaging lidar is an ideal technology for remote optical imaging with single-photon level sensitivity and picosecond resolution, yet its imaging range is strictly limited by the quadratically decreasing count of photons that echo back.

Researchers first optimized transceiver optics. The lidar system setup adopted a coaxial scanning design for the transmit and receive optical paths, which can align the transmitting and receiving spots more precisely and achieve higher-resolution imaging in comparison with traditional methods.

Using measurements of resistance versus applied gate voltage at temperatures of 390 mK, the researchers showed that superconductivity in the improved NbN layer could survive applied magnetic fields as high as 17.8 Tesla. Meanwhile, the improved GaN semiconductor was of high enough quality to exhibit the quantum Hall effect at lower applied magnetic fields of 15 T. “Both these improvements mean the quantum Hall effect and superconductivity can occur at the same time in the heterostructure over a certain ‘window’ of temperatures and magnetic fields (that is, below 1 K and between magnetic fields of 15 to 17.8 T),” study lead author Phillip Dang tells Physics World.

According to the team, the new GaN/NbN heterostructure could be used in quantum computing and low-temperature electronics. Reporting their work in Science Advances, the researchers say they now plan to further investigate the interaction between superconductivity and the quantum Hall effect in this material.

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has separated from the Perseverance rover on Mars. It’s almost ready to pioneer a new form of space exploration.

On a metal mission to a dead planet.

Information about NASA’s Psyche mission, which will explore a unique metallic asteroid.

Intel Corp Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger will virtually attend a meeting being put together by President Joe Biden’s administration for April 12 to discuss the semiconductor supply chain issues disrupting U.S. automotive factories, according to a person familiar with the matter. Reuters previously reported the meeting will include Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and a top economic aide, Brian Deese, as well as chipmakers and automakers. Gelsinger last month said Intel will spend $20 billion to build two new chip factories in Arizona.

For the uninitiated, “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic World” make up a five-movie franchise — with a sixth in the works — all based on Michael Crichton’s hit novel about how bad of an idea it was to open a place like Jurassic Park. Leveraging recent advances in genetic research to create entirely new creatures is certainly an enticing idea, though there’s a big difference between something potentially being feasible and actually being a good idea.

But it’s not all fun and games when you’re playing god and creating new dinosaurs. Hodak later added that de-extinction could be a valuable tool for increasing biodiversity, perhaps because we find ourselves in the midst of an era of mass extinction.

“Biodiversity (antifragility) is definitely valuable; conservation is important and makes sense,” Hodak tweeted minutes later. “But why do we stop there? Why don’t we more intentionally try to generate novel diversity?”

Tune in for this live Q&A with Ingenuity experts to get the latest updates on the Mars Helicopter, and next steps for this trailblazing technology demonstration.

Talent:
• MiMi Aung, Mars Helicopter Project Manager.
• Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity Deputy Operations Lead.

When we think about objects in space, like galaxies and black holes, our only frame of reference are the images we’ve seen, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and similar instruments. Now, thanks to NASA’s new data sonification series, we can translate data signals of these objects into audio.