news

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 26.11.2020

Unknown Population of Stars Discovered
Near the centre of the Milky Way there exists a heretofore unknown population of stars that exhibits characteristic properties. It was discovered by an international research team under the direction of Dr Manuel Arca Sedda of Collaborative Research Centre "The Milky Way System" (CRC 881) of Heidelberg University.

Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 26.11.2020

Sun model completely confirmed for the first time
Borexino detector succeeds in measuring the sun's CNO fusion cycle The Borexino Experiment research team has succeeded in detecting neutrinos from the sun's second fusion process, the Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen cycle (CNO cycle) for the first time. This means that all of the theoretical predictions on how energy is generated within the sun have now also been experimentally verified.

Health - Physics - 25.11.2020

Detecting bacteria with fluorescent nanosensors
Luminous carbon nanotubes detect pathogens - and are quick and easy to use. Researchers from Bochum, Göttingen, Duisburg and Cologne have developed a new method for detecting bacteria and infections. They use fluorescent nanosensors to track down pathogens faster and more easily than with established methods.

Physics - Electroengineering - 23.11.2020

Controlling fully integrated nanodiamonds
Using modern nanotechnology, it is possible nowadays to produce structures which have a feature sizes of just a few nanometres. This world of the most minute particles - also known as quantum systems - makes possible a wide range of technological applications, in fields which include magnetic field sensing, information processing, secure communication or ultra-precise time keeping.

Physics - Materials Science - 23.11.2020

Ultrathin nanomesh sensor to measure sense of touch
World's first fingertip-mounted sensor that maintains user's sensitivity Scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Tokyo have developed an ultrathin pressure sensor that can be attached directly to the skin. It can measure how fingers interact with objects to produce valuable data for technological or medical applications.

Physics - 18.11.2020

Surprises in ’active’ aging
Physicists from the University of Göttingen use computer simulation to investigate aging in living glassy systems Aging is a process that affects not only living beings. Many materials, like plastics and glasses, also age - ie they change slowly over time as their particles try to pack better - and there are already computer models to describe this.

Chemistry - Physics - 17.11.2020

Metal-organic frameworks become flexible
Combined efforts of experiment and simulation pave the way to new applications Materials consisting of inorganic and organic components can combine the best of two worlds: under certain circumstances, the so-called MOFs - short for metal-organic frameworks - are structured in the same order as crystals and are at the same time porous and deformable.

Chemistry - Physics - 12.11.2020

How nitrogen is transferred by a catalyst
Chemists at the University of Göttingen and Goethe University Frankfurt characterise key compound for catalytic nitrogen atom transfer Catalysts with a metal-nitrogen bond can transfer nitrogen to organic molecules. In this process short-lived molecular species are formed, whose properties critically determine the course of the reaction and product formation.

Health - Physics - 04.11.2020

Understanding the spread of infectious diseases
Scientists worldwide have been working flat out on research into infectious diseases in the wake of the global outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This concerns not only virologists, but also physicists, who are developing mathematical models to describe the spread of epidemics.

Physics - Materials Science - 30.10.2020

Novel Photoresist Developed
Researchers in the -3D Matter Made to Order- Cluster of Excellence expand possibilities of three-dimensional printing of the tiniest microstructures Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Heidelberg University have developed a novel photoresist for two-photon microprinting. For the first time, it can be used to produce three-dimensional microstructures with cavities in the nano-range.

Chemistry - Physics - 29.10.2020

Smart bottle brushes
Neutrons make structural changes in molecular brushes visible They look like microscopic bottle brushes: Polymers with a backbone and tufts of side arms. This molecular design gives them unusual abilities: For example, they can bind active agents and release them again when the temperature changes. With the help of neutrons, a research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now succeeded to unveil the changes in the internal structure in course of the process.

Chemistry - Physics - 07.10.2020

Molecular swarm rearranges surface structures atom by atom: New study
Much like a zipper, carbene molecules cooperate on a gold surface to join two rows of atoms into one row, resulting - step by step - in a new surface structure. The surface of metals plays a key role in many technologically relevant areas, such as catalysis, sensor technology and battery research. For example, the large-scale production of many chemical compounds takes place on metal surfaces, whose atomic structure determines if and how molecules react with one another.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 30.09.2020

Stellar explosion in Earth’s proximity
Discovery of iron-60 and manganese-53 substantiates supernova 2.5 million years ago When the brightness of the star Betelgeuse dropped dramatically a few months ago, some observers suspected an impending supernova - a stellar explosion that could also cause damage on Earth. While Betelgeuse has returned to normal, physicists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have found evidence of a supernova that exploded near the Earth around 2.5 million years ago.

Physics - Electroengineering - 24.09.2020

The Return of the Spin Echo
If the spins of phosphorus atoms in silicon are cleverly excited with microwave pulses, a so-called spin echo signal can be detected after a certain time. Surprisingly, this spin echo does not occur only once, but a whole series of echoes can be detected.

Physics - Materials Science - 24.09.2020

Revolutionizing the Cloud
Physicists investigate the magnetization dynamic of rare earths with regard to their suitability for use in ultrafast data storage No 167/2020 from Sep 24, 2020 Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin and universities in Prague, Uppsala, and Konstanz contribute to basic understanding of the magnetization dynamic of a material with the high magnetic anisotropy that is decisive for digital data storage. Along with physicist Professor Ulrich Nowa

Physics - Materials Science - 17.09.2020

"Honey, I shrunk the detector"
Silicon chip (approx. 3 mm x 6 mm) with multiple detectors. The fine black engravings on the surface of the chip are the photonics circuits interconnecting the detectors (not visible with bare eyes). In the background a larger scale photonics circuit on a silicon wafer. Researchers have developed the world's smallest ultrasound detector Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München have developed the world's smallest ultrasound detector.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 09.09.2020

Revealing the secrets of high-energy cosmic particles
P-ONE: Initiative for a new, large-scale Neutrino Observatory in the Pacific Ocean The "IceCube" neutrino observatory deep in the ice of the South Pole has already brought spectacular new insights into cosmic incidents of extremely high energies. In order to investigate the cosmic origins of elementary particles with even higher energies, Prof. Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now started an international initiative to build a neutrino telescope several cubic kilometers in size in the northeastern Pacific.

Physics - 27.08.2020

Migrating through the Cell Membrane
Interdisciplinary Research Team at Freie Universität Develops New Technology for Observing the Organization of the Cell Membrane No 145/2020 from Aug 27, 2020 An interdisciplinary research group at the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Freie Universität Berlin has investigated the nanoscopic organization of the cell membrane.

Health - Physics - 21.08.2020

New insights into lung tissue in Covid-19 disease
Researchers led by Göttingen University develop new three-dimensional imaging technique to visualize tissue damage in severe Covid-19 Physicists at the University of Göttingen, together with pathologists and lung specialists at the Medical University of Hannover, have developed a three-dimensional imaging technique that enables high resolution and three-dimensional representation of damaged lung tissue following severe Covid-19.

Life Sciences - Physics - 14.08.2020

Optimising Complex Networks on a Neuromorphic Computer System
Like biological systems, artificial neuronal networks distribute computations across their interconnected neurons to solve complex tasks. Scientists from Heidelberg University and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen studied how so-called critical states can be used to optimise these networks.