Researchers are a step closer to harnessing single pulses of light called solitons, using tiny ring-shaped microresonators, in findings that could aid efforts to develop advanced sensors, high-speed optical communications and research tools. Being able to harness the solitons using devices small enough to fit on an electronic chip could bring a host of applications, […]
‘Organismic Learning’ Mimics Some Aspects Of Human Thought
A new computing technology called “organismoids” mimics some aspects of human thought by learning how to forget unimportant memories while retaining more vital ones. “The human brain is capable of continuous lifelong learning,” said Kaushik Roy, Purdue University’s Edward G. Tiedemann Jr. Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “And it does this partially by forgetting some […]
‘Data-Driven’ Design Could Lead To Improved Lithium-Ion Batteries
Purdue University is working with MIT and Stanford University in a project funded by the Toyota Research Institute to improve rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and accelerate their integration into electric and hybrid vehicles. Purdue’s part of the four-year effort is to better understand the fundamental science governing how a battery’s internal architecture impacts energy storage, recharging […]
Rechargeable ‘Spin Battery’ Promising For Spintronics And Quantum Computing
Researchers have shown how to create a rechargeable “spin battery” made out of materials called topological insulators, a step toward building new spintronic devices and quantum computers. Unlike ordinary materials that are either insulators or conductors, topological insulators are both at the same time – they are insulators inside but conduct electricity on the surface. The materials […]
Low-Cost ‘Solar Absorber’ Promising for Future Power Plants
Researchers have shown how to modify commercially available silicon wafers into a structure that efficiently absorbs solar energy and withstands the high temperatures needed for “concentrated solar power” plants that might run up to 24 hours a day. The research advances global efforts to design hybrid systems that combine solar photovoltaic cells, which convert visible and […]
Project Focusing On Heavy-Duty Trucks Is Part of National Effort to Reduce Vehicle Fuel Consumption
Purdue University is leading part of a national effort to reduce vehicle fuel consumption by 20 percent through automated systems that interconnect cars and trucks and the transportation infrastructure using sensors and online cloud technology. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has announced up to $32 million in funding for 10 […]
Semiconductor Eyed for Next-Generation ‘Power Electronics’
Researchers have demonstrated the high-performance potential of an experimental transistor made of a semiconductor called beta gallium oxide, which could bring new ultra-efficient switches for applications such as the power grid, military ships and aircraft. The semiconductor is promising for next-generation “power electronics,” or devices needed to control the flow of electrical energy in circuits. […]