ScienceMania

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Date:July 11, 2017 Source:University of Cambridge Summary:The smallest star yet measured has been discovered by a team of astronomers. With a size just a sliver larger than that of Saturn, the gravitational pull at its stellar surface is about 300 times stronger than what humans feel on Earth.       FULL STORY Smallest star ever discovered. Very small and dim stars are the best possible candidates for detecting Earth-sized planets which can have liquid water on their surfaces. The smallest star yet measured has been discovered by a team of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge. With a size just a sliver larger than that of Saturn, the gravitational pull at its stellar surface is about 300 times stronger than what humans feel on Earth. The star is likely as small as stars can possibly become, as it has just enough mass to enable the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium. If it were any smaller, the pressure at the centre of the star would no long...

Date:July 7, 2017 Source:Oregon State University Summary:Scientists have identified patterns in the Earth's magnetic field that evolve on the order of 1,000 years, providing new insight into how the field works and adding a measure of predictability to changes in the field not previously known.       FULL STORY The geomagnetic field is critical to life on Earth. Without it, charged particles from the sun (the "solar wind") would blow away the atmosphere, scientists say. Scientists have identified patterns in Earth's magnetic field that evolve on the order of 1,000 years, providing new insight into how the field works and adding a measure of predictability to changes in the field not previously known. The discovery also will allow researchers to study the planet's past with finer resolution by using this geomagnetic "fingerprint" to compare sediment cores taken from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Results of the research, which was supp...

New laser with a linewidth of only 10 mHz developed Date:June 29, 2017 Source:Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) Summary:With a linewidth of only 10 mHz, the laser that the researchers have now developed has established a new world record.       FULL STORY This is one of the two silicon resonators. No one had ever come so close to the ideal laser before: theoretically, laser light has only one single color (also frequency or wavelength). In reality, however, there is always a certain linewidth. With a linewidth of only 10 mHz, the laser that the researchers from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) have now developed together with US researchers from JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder, has established a new world record. This precision is useful for various applications such as optical atomic clocks, precision spectroscopy, radioastronomy and for testi...

Date:May 25, 2017 Source:National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Summary:A research team has developed the first switch that turns on and off a quantum behavior called the Berry phase. The discovery promises to provide new insight into the fundamentals of quantum theory and may lead to new quantum electronic devices.Share:       FULL STORY These images show the orbital paths of electrons trapped within a circular region within graphene. In the classical orbit (top image), an electron that travels in a complete circuit has the same physical state as when it started on the path. However, when an applied magnetic field reaches a critical value, (bottom image), an electron completing a circuit has a different physical state its original one. The change is called a Berry phase and the magnetic field acts as a switch to turn on the Berry phase. The result is that the electron is raised to a higher energy level. When a ballerina pirouettes, twirli...