Posts

Electrons take one step forward without two steps back

By -
Image
Date: June 8, 2018 Source: University of California - Riverside Summary: Researchers have, for the first time, successfully used electric dipoles to completely suppress electron transfer in one direction while accelerating in the other. The discovery could aid development of improved solar cells and other energy-conversion devices and hasten the design of new and superb energy and electronic materials. Share:         FULL STORY A bioinspired molecular electret dipole directs all the electrons toward the positive pole while preventing them from moving toward the negative pole. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have, for the first time, successfully used electric dipoles to completely suppress electron transfer in one direction while accelerating in the other. The discovery could aid development of improved solar cells and other energy-conversion devices and hasten the design of new and superb energy and electroni...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hubble detects helium in the atmosphere of an exoplanet for the first time

By -
Image
Date: May 2, 2018 Source: ESA/Hubble Information Centre Summary: Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have detected helium in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-107b. This is the first time this element has been detected in the atmosphere of a planet outside the Solar System. The discovery demonstrates the ability to use infrared spectra to study exoplanet extended atmospheres.           FULL STORY The exoplanet WASP-107b is a gas giant, orbiting a highly active K-type main sequence star. The star is about 200 light-years from Earth. Using spectroscopy, scientists were able to find helium in the escaping atmosphere of the planet -- the first detection of this element in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have detected helium in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-107b. This is the first time this element has been detected in the atmosphere of a planet outside t...
Post a Comment
Read more

A future colorfully lit by mystifying physics of paint-on semiconductors

By -
Image
Date:March 19, 2018 Source:Georgia Institute of Technology Summary: It defies conventional wisdom about semiconductors. It's baffling that it even works. It eludes physics models that try to explain it. This newly tested class of light-emitting semiconductors is so easy to produce from solution that it could be painted onto surfaces to light up our future in myriad colors shining from affordable lasers, LEDs, and even window glass. Share:      FULL STORY Laser light in the visible range is processed for use in the testing of quantum properties in materials in Carlos Silva's lab at Georgia Tech.  Some novel materials that sound too good to be true turn out to be true and good. An emergent class of semiconductors, which could affordably light up our future with nuanced colors emanating from lasers, lamps, and even window glass, could be the latest example. These materials are very radiant, easy to process from solution, and energy-efficient. The ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Colliding black holes are reported for a fifth time

By -
Image
BY  Parikshit Sonar   11:40AM, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 BLACK HOLE BOUNTY   Gravitational waves have been spotted from two merging black holes (illustrated above), the fifth reported detection. Spacetime ripples from black holes are becoming routine. For a fifth time, scientists have reported the detection of two colliding black holes via their gravitational waves, tiny vibrations that warp the fabric of spacetime. Unlike  previous gravitational wave detections , which were heralded with news conferences often featuring panels of scientists squinting at journalists under bright lights, this was a low-key announcement. The event, caught on June 8, 2017, by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, LIGO, was  unceremoniously unveiled in a paper published online November 15 at arXiv.org. With masses 7 and 12 times that of the sun, the pair of black holes was the lightest LIGO has spotted so far. The lack of fanfare over the detection signa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dino-killing asteroid could have thrust Earth into two years of darkness

By -
Image
Light-absorbing soot in the atmosphere had the potential to block photosynthesis Date:August 21, 2017 Source:National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Summary:Tremendous amounts of soot, lofted into the air from global wildfires following a massive asteroid strike 66 million years ago, would have plunged Earth into darkness for nearly two years, new research finds. This would have shut down photosynthesis, drastically cooled the planet, and contributed to the mass extinction that marked the end of the age of dinosaurs.Share:       FULL STORY An illustration of an asteroid impacting Earth. Tremendous amounts of soot, lofted into the air from global wildfires following a massive asteroid strike 66 million years ago, would have plunged Earth into darkness for nearly two years, new research finds. This would have shut down photosynthesis, drastically cooled the planet, and contributed to the mass extinction tha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Supermassive black holes feed on cosmic jellyfish

By -
Image
ESO's MUSE instrument on the VLT discovers new way to fuel black holes Date:August 16, 2017 Source:ESO Summary:Observations of 'Jellyfish galaxies' with ESO's Very Large Telescope have revealed a previously unknown way to fuel supermassive black holes. It seems the mechanism that produces the tentacles of gas and newborn stars that give these galaxies their nickname also makes it possible for the gas to reach the central regions of the galaxies, feeding the black hole that lurks in each of them and causing it to shine brilliantly.   FULL STORY Observations of 'Jellyfish galaxies' with ESO's Very Large Telescope have revealed a previously unknown way to fuel supermassive black holes. It seems the mechanism that produces the tentacles of gas and newborn stars that give these galaxies their nickname also makes it possible for the gas to reach the central regions of the galaxies, feeding the black hole that lurks in each of them and causing it to shine br...
Post a Comment
Read more

Flashes of light on dark matter

By -
Image
Using the light from very distant quasars to study the intergalactic space Date: July 21, 2017 Source: Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati Summary: A web that passes through infinite intergalactic spaces, a dense cosmic forest illuminated by very distant lights and a huge enigma to solve. These are the picturesque ingredients of a scientific research that adds an important element for understanding one of the fundamental components of our Universe: dark matter. Share:           FULL STORY On the left side the cosmic web in the standard cold scenario, on the right side how it would look like in the Fuzzy Dark Matter model. The curved lines in both panels show how the absorption by the neutral hydrogen in the cosmic web behaves in the two models. The right curve does not agree with the data, while the left one does. Credit: Matteo Viel A web that passes through infinite intergalactic spaces, a dense cosmic forest il...
Post a Comment
Read more