Category archives: Technology

Real space geometry of aperiodic tilings as control knob for quantum physics

Real space geometry of aperiodic tilings as control knob for quantum physics

Condensed matterDIPC Advanced materialsMaterialsQuantum physics

By DIPC

When we study solid-state physics, we usually begin with crystals. In a crystal, atoms repeat in a strict and regular pattern, much like tiles on a bathroom floor. Because every small region looks the same as every other, electrons move through a predictable landscape. This repeating order is the reason we can explain electricity, magnetism […]

How to make carbonaceous cosmic dust in the lab

How to make carbonaceous cosmic dust in the lab

AstrophysicsChemistryCondensed matterMaterials

By Mapping Ignorance

A Univerity of Sydney Ph.D. student has recreated a tiny piece of the universe inside a bottle in her laboratory, producing cosmic dust from scratch. The results shed new light on how the chemical building blocks of life may have formed long before Earth existed. Linda Losurdo, a Ph.D. candidate in materials and plasma physics […]

The silicon advantage: How semiconductor manufacturing aims to solve the quantum computing scaling challenge

The silicon advantage: How semiconductor manufacturing aims to solve the quantum computing scaling challenge

Computer scienceMaterials

By Invited Researcher

The material at the heart of the digital revolution, silicon, is now a leading candidate for building large-scale quantum computers. This strategy leverages the most mature and powerful manufacturing technology on Earth to control the fundamental quantum property of an electron: its spin. Recent breakthroughs in silicon-based spin qubits have demonstrated gate fidelities that meet […]

Moiré patterns at the interface of topology and magnetism

Moiré patterns at the interface of topology and magnetism

DIPC Advanced materialsMaterialsNanotechnology

By DIPC

Most of the electronic devices we use every day, from smartphones to solar panels, depend on electrons moving smoothly through crystal structures. In recent years, however, researchers have discovered that stacking extremely thin materials in carefully chosen ways can produce completely new types of behavior that never appear in ordinary bulk materials. One of the […]

New Radio-Frequency Quadrupole design with symmetric direct transversal fields for efficient compact particle accelerators

New Radio-Frequency Quadrupole design with symmetric direct transversal fields for efficient compact particle accelerators

Particle physicsPhysics

By Invited Researcher

A Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) is a resonant cavity with a cylindrical symmetry divided in four lobes resembling a clover-like geometry and four vanes to focus and accelerate charged particles. This structure can accept a continuous flow of low-energy massive particles (such as protons or heavier ions) and accelerate them from the keV to the MeV […]

Nothing prevents our universe from simulating the universe which is simulating it

Nothing prevents our universe from simulating the universe which is simulating it

Computer scienceMathematics

By Mapping Ignorance

The simulation hypothesis—the idea that our universe might be an artificial construct running on some advanced alien computer—has long captured the public imagination. Yet most arguments about it rest on intuition rather than clear definitions, and few attempts have been made to formally spell out what “simulation” even means. A new mathematical framework emerges A […]

New single-cell tool reveals hidden links between genes and disease

New single-cell tool reveals hidden links between genes and disease

GeneticsMedicine

By Rosa García-Verdugo

Ever wondered why certain diseases seem to run in families, or how tiny changes in our DNA can lead to serious health conditions? Scientists have developed a powerful new tool that simultaneously analyzes both DNA and RNA within individual cells, offering unprecedented insight into how genetic variations contribute to disease. The Problem With Current Technology […]

AI tools are being used to subject women in public life to online violence

AI tools are being used to subject women in public life to online violence

Artificial IntelligenceSociology

By Invited Researcher

Authors: Julie Posetti, Director of the Information Integrity Initiative, a project of TheNerve/Professor of Journalism, Chair of the Centre for Journalism and Democracy, City St George’s, University of London; Kaylee Williams, PhD Candidate, Journalism and Online Harm, Columbia University, and Lea Hellmueller, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Research, City St George’s, University of London […]

A new two-dimensional carbon allotrope combining graphene and nanoporous design

A new two-dimensional carbon allotrope combining graphene and nanoporous design

ChemistryDIPC Advanced materialsDIPC Electronic PropertiesMaterials

By DIPC

Carbon is one of the most versatile elements in the periodic table. Beyond the familiar forms of graphite and diamond lies a rich family of carbon structures with surprising and useful properties. Among these, graphene, a single two-dimensional (2D) allotrope consisting in a layer of carbon atoms arranged in a perfect hexagonal lattice, has captivated […]