Quantum engines are known to operate differently than—and in some cases, outperform—their classical counterparts. However, previous research on the performance of quantum engines may be overestimating their advantages. In a new study, physicists have developed an improved method to compute the efficiency of quantum engines. They show that the ultimate efficiency of quantum systems is […]
Energy-Harvesting Bracelet Could Power Wearable Electronics
Researchers have designed a bracelet that harvests biomechanical energy from the wearer’s wrist movements, which can then be converted into electricity and used to extend the battery lifetime of personal electronics or even fully power some of these devices. The researchers, Zhiyi Wu and coauthors at Chongqing University of Technology and the China Academy of […]
Quantum Effects Lead To More Powerful Battery Charging
Physicists have theoretically shown that, when multiple nanoscale batteries are coupled together, they can be charged faster than if each battery was charged individually. The improvement arises from collective quantum phenomena and is rooted in the emerging field of quantum thermodynamics—the study of how quantum effects influence the traditional laws governing energy and work. The […]
Foldable Silicon-Based Electronics Overcome Fragility Problem
Researchers have developed a method for fabricating silicon-based electronics that can be stretched and folded without damage, circumventing the problem of extreme fragility that ultra-thin flexible silicon materials traditionally face. The researchers, led by Muhammad Mustafa Hussain at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), have published a paper on the foldable silicon-based […]
Building Block of Thermal Computer Operates at 600 K
Researchers have built the hottest thermal diode to date, which operates at temperatures of more than 600 K (326 °C). Thermal diodes may serve as the building blocks of future thermal computers, which could run at temperatures at which today’s electronic computers would quickly overheat and stop working. The researchers, Assistant Professor Sidy Ndao and […]
Electrically Tunable Metasurfaces Pave the Way Toward Dynamic Holograms
Dynamic holograms allow three-dimensional images to change over time like a movie, but so far these holograms are still being developed. The development of dynamic holograms may now get a boost from recent research on optical metasurfaces, a type of photonic surface with tunable optical properties. In a new study published in Applied Physics Letters, a […]
Battery Can Be Recharged With Carbon Dioxide
Researchers have developed a type of rechargeable battery called a flow cell that can be recharged with a water-based solution containing dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from fossil fuel power plants. The device works by taking advantage of the CO2 concentration difference between CO2 emissions and ambient air, which can ultimately be used to generate electricity. The new […]
Never-Before-Seen Topological Solitons Experimentally Realized in Liquid Crystals
Physicists have discovered that dozens of 3-D knotted structures called “topological solitons,” which have remained experimentally elusive for hundreds of years, can be created and frozen for long periods of time in liquid crystals like those used in electronic displays. Until now, topological solitons have been realized only in a few experiments, and for such […]
Brain-Computer Interface Could Improve Hearing Aids
Researchers are working on the early stages of a brain-computer interface (BCI) that can tell who you’re listening to in a room full of noise and other people talking. In the future, the technology could be incorporated into hearing aids as tiny beam-formers that point in the direction of interest so that they tune in […]
Proposed Quantum Nano-MRI Could Generate Images With Angstrom-Level Resolution
Similar to the way that a conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine uses large magnets to generate 3D images, physicists have developed a proposal for a quantum nano-MRI machine that would use the magnetic properties of a single atomic qubit to generate 3D images with angstrom-level (0.1-nanometer) resolution. The new technique could lead to the […]