Research

Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and the Tokyo University of Science have created a solid-state electric double layer neuromorphic transistor, claiming it to be the fastest yet, and proving its computational ability by training it to convert waveforms. “The team measured the speed at which the transistor operates by applying pulsed voltage to it, and found that it ...

Scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have added its NPL-Sr1 optical frequency standard (pictured) to the mix for determining International Atomic Time (TAI). “Reaching this milestone represents a significant achievement for the team and stems from a huge effort from many people over many years,” said NPL head of time Professor Helen Margolis. “I am delighted that we are ...

Chiba University has found a way to cut blocks of diamond into thin wafers along a difficult but desirable crystal plane using lasers. The ‘100’ plain leaves a surface that is relatively easy to planarise and etch for semiconductor use, according to the Chiba researchers, but diamond wants to crack along its 111 plane, so any crack-based separation starting in ...

At Stanford University, researchers have found a way to record the activity of a single neuron without burrowing into the brain – of a rat in this case. Developed by Anqi Zhang and colleagues, the key part is a micro-probe that can be threaded through blood vessels as small as 100μm in diameter. Initially it is housed in a micro-catheter ...

A team from the Université Côte d’Azur has addressed some of the challenges of automotive lidar, using an acousto-optic modulator, a metasurface deflector and, to improve range and signal to noise ratio, a technique borrowed from telecommunication. Vehicle lidar sends out pulses and measures time-of-flight for returned pulses to determine range. These pulses are sent one at a time, and ...

CSA Catapult, the organisation tasked with commercialising UK compound semiconductor innovation, is to expand into centres in Bristol, Glasgow and Durham. Currently based in Newport, South Wales, it will open: Future Telecoms Hub at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, CSA Scotland at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology Innovation Centre, and an office with the Satellite Applications Catapult at NETPark ...

A device which reduces the noise in quantum computers has been introduced by a team of scientists at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).  A “toggle switch” device connects two superconducting qubits to a circuit called a “readout resonator” that can read the output of the qubits’ calculations. This toggle switch can be flipped into different states ...

Tokyo Institute of Technology has created a strategy to produce high ionic conductivity solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries with lithium metal electrodes. Such solid batteries could offer better battery safety – lithium metal (as opposed to lithium-ion) liquid electrolyte batteries have a poor safety record – but inferior ion conductivity is hampering their development. Inferior conductivity can be intrinsic to ...

NASA has awarded a $4m contract to the University of Hawaii to develop – in collaboration with Leonardo, Markury Scientific, and Hawaii Aerospace – ultra-sensitive infrared sensors to help observe distant planets and their atmospheres. Specifically, it is the university’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA) that will be working on the technology, along with the Southampton offices of Leonardo, with the ...

Northumbria University is collaborating with Lockheed Martin for research into the role played by ‘nanojets’ and the reconnection of the Sun’s magnetic field lines for generating the Solar Corona’s heat. In a bid to gather more evidence about how often nanojets occur and how they impact coronal heating, Northumbria PhD student Ramada Sukarmadji, under the supervision of Dr Patrick Antolin, ...