Physical Sciences
Unlocking potential: PEO coatings redefine durability in critical industries
Industries require lightweight, durable components with specific surface properties, yet current methods like plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) are limited by high costs and scalability issues. Existing surface modification processes hinder large-scale manufacturing due to cost and scalability limitations. Is there a solution for industrial surface modification that overcomes these challenges? Recent advancements in PEO technology, led by Dr Anna Buling, […]
Vibration mitigation: New Force-Network based granular damping technology
Vibration damping plays a crucial role in enhancing human comfort, safety, and well-being across various aspects of daily life. In transportation, effective vibration damping in vehicles such as cars, trains, and airplanes can reduce the transmission of engine and road vibrations to passengers, minimising discomfort and fatigue during travel. One of the main challenges in developing new vibration-damping systems is […]
Mastering liquid crystal phase technologies for terahertz communication
Terahertz radiation is very useful in a number of fields, including communications and biological imaging, but it has historically been difficult to control for such applications. Dr Masahito Oh-e at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan has been exploring how liquid crystal-based technologies might be used to make new devices to harness the power of terahertz radiation. In recent […]
Audible barcodes – a symphony of data
Barcodes and QR codes have become ubiquitous sights in our current information age. However, they have some notable limitations – specifically, the requirement for line of sight, close physical proximity of the reader to the code, and adequate lighting for accurate interpretation. Soorya Annadurai, an independent researcher and software engineer at Microsoft in the USA, has developed a solution for […]
Exploring Mars in search for life before it is too late
In the next few decades, space agencies are hopeful that humanity may take its first steps on Martian soil. Yet according to Alberto Fairén at the Astrobiology Centre in Madrid, Spain, these missions could have disastrous consequences for our ability to study any life which may be present on Mars. Through his research, Fairén proposes a ‘New Deal’ for Mars […]
The plasma physics of grapes in the microwave
Ever wondered why sparks fly when you microwave two closely spaced grapes? While this simple way of generating a spectacular plasma has intrigued the general public, there has also been a long-running debate about exactly what physics is involved in the process. Dr Kwo Ray Chu and his team at National Taiwan University have recently unraveled the physics behind it. […]
SAQFT: Algebraic quantum field theory for elementary and composite particles
Quantum field theory (QFT) was a crucial step in our understanding of the fundamental nature of the Universe. In its current form, however, it is poorly suited for describing composite particles, made up of multiple interacting elementary particles. Today, QFT for hadrons has been largely replaced with quantum chromodynamics, but this new framework still leaves many gaps in our understanding, […]
Creating a unified theory for the fundamental physical interactions
The search for a theory which unifies the Universe’s four known fundamental forces has now endured for over a century. Recently, Dr Joachim Herrmann at the Max-Born Institute, Germany, revisited the geometrisation programme of unified field theory from the 20th century, in combination with the modern theory of elementary particles. He has shown that a possible solution may be found […]
Multifunctional roles of water in the ozonolysis of limonene aerosols
Aerosols are suspensions of tiny solid particles or liquid droplets, which significantly impact Earth’s atmosphere by influencing the planet’s energy balance, global climate, and public health. Secondary organic aerosols can be formed due to various physicochemical processes involving natural and human-made aerosols, or their gas-phase precursors. Limonene, a type of monoterpene, often found in citrus peel oils and many household and […]
Nanosafety: Looking at the toxicology of nanomaterials
Nanomaterials are small particles that can be found everywhere, including in the air we breathe. Nanosafety is an emerging area of research dealing with the effect of nanomaterials on health and environment. Dr Ernesto Alfaro-Moreno of the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Braga, Portugal, has been involved in continued research on the toxicology of nanomaterials. For his latest study, he […]