Âé¶¹ÒùÔº - latest science and technology news stories / en-us Âé¶¹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The playbook for perfect polaritons: Rules for creating quasiparticles that can power optical computers, quantum devices Light is fast, but travels in long wavelengths and interacts weakly with itself. The particles that make up matter are tiny and interact strongly with each other, but move slowly. Together, the two can combine into a hybrid quasiparticle called a polariton that is part light, part matter. /news/2025-10-playbook-polaritons-quasiparticles-power-optical.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Fri, 10 Oct 2025 11:00:12 EDT news679161482 California physicist and Nobel laureate John Martinis won't quit on quantum computers A California physicist and Nobel laureate who laid the foundation for quantum computing isn't done working. /news/2025-10-california-physicist-nobel-laureate-john.html General Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Fri, 10 Oct 2025 05:57:50 EDT news679294660 Programmable optical chip merges photons to change color Cornell researchers have built a programmable optical chip that can change the color of light by merging photons, without requiring a new chip for new colors. /news/2025-10-programmable-optical-chip-merges-photons.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 08 Oct 2025 12:00:04 EDT news679143601 First device based on 'optical thermodynamics' can route light without switches A team of researchers at the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has created a new breakthrough in photonics: the design of the first optical device that follows the emerging framework of optical thermodynamics. /news/2025-10-device-based-optical-thermodynamics-route.html General Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Optics & Photonics Tue, 07 Oct 2025 10:29:04 EDT news679051742 Âé¶¹ÒùÔºicists develop new quantum sensor at the atomic lattice scale From computer chips to quantum dots—technological platforms were only made possible thanks to a detailed understanding of the used solid-state materials, such as silicon or more complex semiconductor materials. This understanding also includes being able to identify and control irregularities in the crystal lattice of such materials. /news/2025-10-physicists-quantum-sensor-atomic-lattice.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Tue, 07 Oct 2025 10:12:19 EDT news679050735 Powerful and precise multi-color lasers now fit on a single chip A few years ago, researchers in Michal Lipson's lab noticed something remarkable. They were working on a project to improve LiDAR, a technology that uses lightwaves to measure distance. The lab was designing high-power chips that could produce brighter beams of light. /news/2025-10-powerful-precise-multi-lasers-chip.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:22:04 EDT news679047721 Chip-based phonon splitter brings hybrid quantum networks closer to reality Researchers have created a chip-based device that can split phonons—tiny packets of mechanical vibration that can carry information in quantum systems. By filling a key gap, this device could help connect various quantum devices via phonons, paving the way for advanced computing and secure quantum communication. /news/2025-10-chip-based-phonon-splitter-hybrid.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Mon, 06 Oct 2025 10:00:05 EDT news678963061 Molecular qubits can communicate at telecom frequencies A team of scientists from the University of Chicago, the University of California Berkeley, Argonne National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has developed molecular qubits that bridge the gap between light and magnetism—and operate at the same frequencies as telecommunications technology. The advance, published today in Science, establishes a promising new building block for scalable quantum technologies that can integrate seamlessly with existing fiber-optic networks. /news/2025-10-molecular-qubits-communicate-telecom-frequencies.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Thu, 02 Oct 2025 17:02:04 EDT news678643321 Extreme pressure pushes honeycomb crystal toward quantum spin liquid, hinting at new qubit designs The future of computing lies in the surprising world of quantum physics, where the rules are much different from the ones that power today's devices. Quantum computers promise to tackle problems too complex for even the fastest supercomputers running on silicon chips. To make this vision real, scientists around the world are searching for new quantum materials with unusual, almost otherworldly properties. /news/2025-10-extreme-pressure-honeycomb-crystal-quantum.html Condensed Matter Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:33:04 EDT news678533581 Photodiode design using germanium solves key challenge in on-chip light monitoring Programmable photonics devices, which use light to perform complex computations, are emerging as a key area in integrated photonics research. Unlike conventional electronics that transmit signals with electrons, these systems use photons, offering faster processing speeds, higher bandwidths, and greater energy efficiency. These advantages make programmable photonics well-suited for demanding tasks like real-time deep learning and data-intensive computing. /news/2025-09-photodiode-germanium-key-chip.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 30 Sep 2025 15:17:04 EDT news678464222 'A real physical thing': Quantum computer exhibit at O'Hare seeks to make the technology tangible Chicago has quickly emerged as a hub for quantum computing, with the state of Illinois and technology companies pouring millions of dollars into developing a campus to build the world's first commercially viable quantum computer on the city's Southeast Side. /news/2025-09-real-physical-quantum-ohare-technology.html Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Mon, 29 Sep 2025 13:00:14 EDT news678369022 Âé¶¹ÒùÔºicists demonstrate 3,000 quantum-bit system capable of continuous operation One often-repeated example illustrates the mind-boggling potential of quantum computing: A machine with 300 quantum bits could simultaneously store more information than the number of particles in the known universe. /news/2025-09-physicists-quantum-bit-capable.html Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Sun, 28 Sep 2025 08:50:01 EDT news678095146 Tiny sensors rapidly detect trace 'forever chemicals' in drinking water They linger in our water, our blood, and the environment—"forever chemicals" that are notoriously difficult to detect. /news/2025-09-tiny-sensors-rapidly-chemicals.html Environment Thu, 25 Sep 2025 12:50:05 EDT news678023401 Light-driven thermal barriers control fluid flow in three dimensions Scientists at the Department of Applied Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics II of the University of Malaga have participated in the design of a new technology that controls fluids and particles in three dimensions through virtual thermal barriers generated using light. /news/2025-09-driven-thermal-barriers-fluid-dimensions.html Optics & Photonics Soft Matter Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:57:03 EDT news678020221 Chip-scale cold atom experiments could unleash the power of quantum science in the field Cold atom experiments are among the most powerful and precise ways of investigating and measuring the universe and exploring the quantum world. By trapping atoms and exploiting their quantum properties, scientists can discover new states of matter, sense even the faintest of signals, take ultra-precise measurements of time and gravity, and conduct quantum sensing and computing experiments. /news/2025-09-chip-scale-cold-atom-unleash.html Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:27:05 EDT news678011221 Small chip, grand mission: Searching for signs of extraterrestrial life Is life possible—or has it ever been possible—on other planets? The (Origin of) Life Marker Chip (LMCOOL) seeks the answer. This innovative chip is being developed by a Dutch consortium led by TU Delft. UT researcher Jurriaan Huskens and his team are going to make the optical sensor selective for the required biomarkers. /news/2025-09-small-chip-grand-mission-extraterrestrial.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Tue, 23 Sep 2025 10:50:04 EDT news677843210 Âé¶¹ÒùÔºicists create new electrically controlled silicon-based quantum device A team of scientists at Simon Fraser University's Quantum Technology Lab and leading Canada-based quantum company Photonic Inc. have created a new type of silicon-based quantum device controlled both optically and electrically, marking the latest breakthrough in the global quantum computing race. /news/2025-09-physicists-electrically-silicon-based-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:51:04 EDT news677418661 Tomorrow's quantum computers could use sound, not light While many plans for quantum computers transmit data using the particles of light known as photons, researchers from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) are turning to sound. /news/2025-09-tomorrow-quantum.html Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:28:04 EDT news677417282 New light-powered gears fit inside a strand of hair Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have made light-powered gears on a micrometer scale. This paves the way for the smallest on-chip motors in history, which can fit inside a strand of hair. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications. /news/2025-09-powered-gears-strand-hair.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:47:03 EDT news677407621 Innovative microscope captures large, high-resolution images of curved samples in single snapshot Researchers have developed a new type of microscope that can acquire extremely large, high-resolution pictures of non-flat objects in a single snapshot. This innovation could speed up research and medical diagnostics or be useful in quality inspection applications. /news/2025-09-microscope-captures-large-high-resolution.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 17 Sep 2025 10:00:05 EDT news677236322 Uniting the light spectrum on a single microchip Focused laser-like light that covers a wide range of frequencies is highly desirable for many scientific studies and for many applications, for instance, quality control of manufacturing semiconductor electronic chips. But creating such broadband and coherent light has been difficult to achieve with anything but bulky, energy-hungry tabletop devices. /news/2025-09-spectrum-microchip.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 12 Sep 2025 05:00:01 EDT news676799941 Adjustable microchannel height boosts sensitivity in impedance flow cytometry Many advances in medicine and drug development were possible owing to flow cytometry, a single-cell analysis technique that analyzes cells using the emitted fluorescence of their chemical tags while passing through a laser beam. Most flow cytometers possess a microfluidic channel, a small channel that regulates the flow of fluorescently tagged analytes. Flow cytometry enables quick single-cell counting and analysis, making it a cornerstone of modern biomedical research. /news/2025-09-adjustable-microchannel-height-boosts-sensitivity.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:53:54 EDT news676810428 Circuits invisible to the naked eye: New technique shrinks microchips beyond current size limits Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered new materials and a new process that could advance the ever-escalating quest to make smaller, faster and affordable microchips used across modern electronics—in everything from cellphones to cars, appliances to airplanes. /news/2025-09-circuits-invisible-naked-eye-technique.html Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Sep 2025 05:00:01 EDT news676783109 Molecular biomimetics: The cell nucleus as a model for DNA-based computer chips In human cells, there are about 20,000 genes on a two-meter DNA strand—finely coiled up in a nucleus about 10 micrometers in diameter. By comparison, this corresponds to a 40-kilometer thread packed into a soccer ball. Despite this cramped space, stem cells manage to find and activate the correct genes in a matter of minutes. Which genes these are differs from cell to cell. Precise activation is crucial as errors in gene selection can lead to disease or cell death. /news/2025-09-molecular-biomimetics-cell-nucleus-dna.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 09 Sep 2025 13:05:03 EDT news676641901 System guides light through a tiny crystal, undeterred by bumps, bends and back-reflections Relaying a message from point A to B can be as simple as flashing a thumbs-up at a stranger in an intersection, signaling them to proceed—nonverbal, clear, and universally understood. But light-based communication is rarely that straightforward. /news/2025-09-tiny-crystal-undeterred.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:52:04 EDT news676637522 Engineers send quantum signals with standard Internet Protocol In a first-of-its-kind experiment, engineers at the University of Pennsylvania brought quantum networking out of the lab and onto commercial fiber-optic cables using the same Internet Protocol (IP) that powers today's web. /news/2025-08-quantum-standard-internet-protocol.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:00:01 EDT news675508613 Origami-inspired folding strategy for hydrogel pores enables precise control Hydrogels are soft, water-rich polymeric materials that can swell or shrink in response to environmental stimuli. This ability to change shape makes them valuable in miniaturized devices for flexible electronics, microrobotics, intelligent surfaces, and biomedical applications such as drug delivery. For example, hydrogel pores can be engineered to trap and release tiny drug particles on demand. /news/2025-08-origami-strategy-hydrogel-pores-enables.html Polymers Analytical Chemistry Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:00:01 EDT news675517920 Tiny waves, big impact: Study finds new way to control fluid in space Liquids can provide some especially tricky challenges for space travelers, but new research from the University of Mississippi could help engineer smarter, more efficient fluid control in zero- and low-gravity environments. /news/2025-08-tiny-big-impact-fluid-space.html Soft Matter Mon, 25 Aug 2025 14:40:01 EDT news675351028 Photonic origami folds glass into microscopic 3D optical devices Researchers have developed a technique to fold glass sheets into microscopic 3D photonic structures directly on a chip—a process they call photonic origami. The method could enable tiny, yet complex optical devices for data processing, sensing and experimental physics. /news/2025-08-photonic-origami-glass-microscopic-3d.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:00:02 EDT news674908381 Nanodroplets could speed up the search for new medicine Until now, the early phase of drug discovery for the development of new therapeutics has been both cost- and time-intensive. Researchers at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) have now developed a platform on which extremely miniaturized nanodroplets with a volume of only 200 nanoliters per droplet—comparable to a grain of sand—and containing only 300 cells per test can be arranged. /news/2025-08-nanodroplets-medicine-1.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 21 Aug 2025 08:31:11 EDT news674983864