All posts tagged: materials

Record-breaking quantum simulator could unlock new materials

Record-breaking quantum simulator could unlock new materials

Published by skeptic

An artist’s representation of qubits in the Quantum Twins simulator Silicon Quantum Computing An unprecedently large quantum simulator could shed light on how exotic, potentially useful quantum materials work and help us optimise them in the future. Quantum computers may eventually harness quantum phenomena to complete calculations that are intractable for the world’s best conventional computers. Similarly, a simulator harnessing quantum phenomena could help researchers to accurately model poorly understood materials or molecules. This is especially true for materials such as superconductors, which conduct electricity with nearly perfect efficiency, because they derive this property from quantum effects that could be directly implemented on quantum simulators but would require more steps of mathematical translation on conventional devices. Michelle Simmons at Silicon Quantum Computing in Australia and her colleagues have now created the biggest quantum simulator for quantum materials yet, called Quantum Twins. “The scale and controllability we have achieved with these simulators means we are now poised to tackle some very interesting problems,” she says. “We are designing new materials in previously unthought-of ways by literally building …

Gerber issues nationwide recall for its biscuits over fears of foreign materials

Gerber issues nationwide recall for its biscuits over fears of foreign materials

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Gerber is voluntarily recalling batches of its Arrowroot Biscuits as a precaution after a supplier recalled arrowroot flour that may contain soft plastic or paper pieces. Issued Monday, the recall covers limited batches of the 5.5-ounce Gerber Arrowroot Biscuits produced between July and September 2025 and sold across the U.S. Gerber said no other products in its baby food line are included in this recall. Consumers are urged to check the 10-digit batch codes printed on the back of affected packages and compare them against the list provided by the company. The following batch codes and corresponding “best before” dates are part of the recall: 5198565504 – Best Before October 16, 2026 5202565504 – Best Before October 20, 2026 5203565504 – Best Before October …

Scientists use ultrafast laser to flip materials into a different electronic state

Scientists use ultrafast laser to flip materials into a different electronic state

Published by Jenni Sidey

A burst of invisible light can do more than illuminate a surface. In a new study, Michigan State University researchers used an ultrafast laser to gently jolt atoms in a quantum material, then watched the surface change in real time. The shift lasted only while the laser stayed on, but it was enough to flip the material into a different electronic state, like a tiny switch you can turn on and off. The work centers on a layered material called tungsten ditelluride, shortened to WTe2. It has drawn attention for its unusual behavior at the smallest scales. Those surprising traits could matter for future devices, from smaller electronics to parts used in next-generation quantum computers. The team’s approach blended two sides of modern physics. One group built the instrument and ran the experiments. Another group used computer modeling to explain what the atoms were doing and why it changed the material’s behavior. Shear motion in WTe2 driven by tip-enhanced terahertz fields. (CREDIT: Nature Photonics) A Laser, a Needle Tip, and a Nanoscale Nudge The heart …

Arkansas Puts Complete Ban on Incoming Books, Magazines, Other Materials for Incarcerated Individuals

Arkansas Puts Complete Ban on Incoming Books, Magazines, Other Materials for Incarcerated Individuals

Published by José Betancourt

In what is one of the cruelest policies passed in this era of rampant book censorship, and one that flies in the face of long-documented research on the tools that best reduce recidivism, Arkansas will ban all physical books, magazines, and newspapers coming into prisons for individuals starting February 1. This is the strictest ban on sending reading material to prisons in the country. Advocates worry this will launch similar efforts nationwide. “If it gets enacted in Arkansas, then Texas and other states kind of ping pong off each other when it comes to these draconian policies,” explains Kaleem Nazeem, Co-President of decARcerate. This group helps formerly incarcerated individuals organize and activate against the prison-industrial complex. “This could have a disastrous effect on people in other states, especially in the southern region.” Censorship thrives in American prisons. It is the number one First Amendment violation in the country. Between ever-shifting policies on what can and cannot enter into prison facilities, a lack of libraries and trained library workers on site, exorbitant costs for access to …

Court Blocks Feds From Searching Materials Obtained In Raid On WaPo Journalist

Court Blocks Feds From Searching Materials Obtained In Raid On WaPo Journalist

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times, A federal judge has blocked the government from searching data obtained in a raid last week on the home of Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson. The order from U.S. Magistrate Judge William B. Porter comes after the federal government on Jan. 14 executed a search warrant at Natanson’s home. According to The Washington Post, federal authorities seized a phone, two laptops, a recorder, a portable hard drive, and a Garmin watch during the raid. The Standstill Order granted by Porter specifically says that the government must “preserve but … not review” the materials obtained in the raid while litigation on the matter moves forward. An additional motion filed by Natanson and The Washington Post called on the court to order the government to return Natanson’s seized materials. Oral arguments on this motion will be held Feb. 6, with the court holding off on any intervention until then. The brief order contains no discussions of the case’s merits or arguments, which will be delayed until after the Feb. …

New Tennessee facility accelerates fusion materials development

New Tennessee facility accelerates fusion materials development

Published by skeptic

East Tennessee is emerging as a national epicentre for US fusion energy innovation, following the announcement of a powerful new research facility designed to push fusion materials closer to commercial reality. A partnership between the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Type One Energy, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) will establish a cutting-edge high-heat flux (HHF) facility that addresses one of fusion energy’s most critical challenges: how materials perform under extreme conditions. Located at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Bull Run Energy Complex in Clinton, the facility is expected to play a pivotal role in qualifying materials for future fusion power plants while reinforcing the region’s growing reputation as a fusion research and manufacturing hub. ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer  believes the facility will transform the US fusion landscape: “This unique collaboration of breakthrough science, industry innovation and academic leadership will result in the creation of a national facility critical to the success of realising commercial fusion.” Tackling the toughest conditions in fusion energy Fusion energy systems operate under some of …

Excitons Let Scientists Reshape Quantum Materials With Less Light

Excitons Let Scientists Reshape Quantum Materials With Less Light

Published by Jenni Sidey

Light can do more than illuminate a material. In some cases, it can temporarily change how electrons move through it. That possibility sits at the heart of Floquet engineering, a young area of condensed-matter physics that aims to create new electronic behavior on demand. “Excitons couple much stronger to the material than photons due to the strong Coulomb interaction, particularly in 2D materials,” says Professor Keshav Dani from the Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit at OIST, “and they can thus achieve strong Floquet effects while avoiding the challenges posed by light. With this, we have a new potential pathway to the exotic future quantum devices and materials that Floquet engineering promises.” The time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (TR-ARPES) setup at OIST, here with study co-first author Xing Zhu, PhD student in the Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit. (CREDIT: Bogna Baliszewska (OIST)) Turning a rhythm into new electronic behavior “Floquet engineering starts with a basic idea: a repeating push can create a bigger, more complex response. A swing rises higher when pushes come at the right rhythm. In quantum materials, …

Smithsonian Hands Over Internal Materials to White House

Smithsonian Hands Over Internal Materials to White House

Published by José Betancourt

The Smithsonian Institution has turned over internal materials related to its programming and operations amid White House pressure for a review, according to private emails from Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch II obtained by The New York Times. After retaking office in January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at purging what he described as “anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution, the consortium of Washington, D.C., museums and archives that includes the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Related Articles The Trump administration demanded by Tuesday full compliance with an August directive requiring the Smithsonian to hand over internal materials for review or risk losing federal funding, which makes up the vast majority of its budget. In response, Bunch publicly reiterated the institution’s nonpartisanship and independence, saying the Smithsonian would conduct its own review and brief the administration on its findings. The revelation that the Smithsonian would transfer materials on a rolling basis—including “digital …

Laser breakthrough brings 2D materials closer to chip factories

Laser breakthrough brings 2D materials closer to chip factories

Published by skeptic

A European research and industry consortium has unveiled a laser-based manufacturing process that could significantly accelerate the adoption of 2D materials in mainstream semiconductor production. Developed under the Horizon Europe–funded L2D2 project, the technique enables graphene and related atomically thin materials to be transferred directly onto CMOS-compatible and silicon photonics wafers, overcoming a long-standing barrier to industrial-scale integration. The project brings together partners from academia and industry, including the National Technical University of Athens, Graphenea Semiconductor, NVIDIA Mellanox, and Bar-Ilan University. From lab curiosity to industrial reality While 2D materials such as graphene have long promised dramatic performance gains in electronics and photonics, integrating them into existing chipmaking workflows has proven notoriously difficult. Conventional transfer methods often rely on polymers or solvents, which can contaminate surfaces, introduce defects, and limit scalability. The L2D2 consortium claims its new approach eliminates these issues entirely. At the heart of the advance is Laser Digital Transfer, or LDT, a single-step, solvent-free process that uses precisely controlled laser pulses to move and pattern 2D materials exactly where they are needed. …

Building materials are getting closer to doubling as batteries

Building materials are getting closer to doubling as batteries

Published by skeptic

A weight-bearing arch made of electron-conducting carbon concrete (ec3) integrates supercapacitor electrodes to power a light.MIT EC³ HUB The researchers achieved this progress by using high-resolution 3D imaging to learn more about how the conductive carbon network—essentially, the electrode—functions and interacts with electrolytes. Equipped with their new understanding, the team experimented with different electrolytes and their concentrations. “We found that there is a wide range of electrolytes that could be viable candidates for ec3,” says Damian Stefaniuk, a research scientist at the MIT Electron-Conducting Carbon-Cement-Based Materials Hub, led by associate professor Admir Masic. “This even includes seawater, which could make this a good material for use in coastal and marine applications, perhaps as support structures for offshore wind farms.” At the same time, the team streamlined the way electrolytes were added to the mix, making it possible to cast thicker electrodes that stored more energy. While ec3 doesn’t rival conventional batteries in energy density, itcan in principle be incorporated directly into architectural elements and last as long as the structure itself. To show how structural …