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Chemistry - Physics - 26.05.2022

Catalysis Collaborative Research Center enters its second phase
Researchers aim for more targeted control of catalytic reactions and are focusing on mesoporous materials [Picture: SFB 1333] The collaborative research center "Molecular heterogeneous catalysis in confined geometries" (SFB 1333) at the University of Stuttgart is entering its second funding period and has received funding of almost 12 million euros.

Physics - Chemistry - 19.05.2022

Ions and Rydberg-atoms: a bond between David and Goliath
Physicists at the University of Stuttgart detect a novel binding mechanism between small and giagantic particles. [Picture: PI 5, Nicolas Zuber] Researchers at the 5th Physical Institute of the University of Stuttgart have verified a novel binding mechanism forming a molecule between a tiny charged particle and in atomic measures gigantic Rydberg atom.

Physics - Materials Science - 13.05.2022

Quantum one-way street in topological insulator nanowires
Very thin wires made of a topological insulator could enable highly stable qubits, the building blocks of future quantum computers. Scientists see a new result in topological insulator devices as an important step towards realising the technology's potential / publication in 'Nature Nanotechnology' An international group of scientists have demonstrated that wires more than 100 times thinner than a human hair can act like a quantum one-way street for electrons when made of a peculiar material known as a topological insulator.

Health - Physics - 13.05.2022

Malaria Parasites Form Vortices
Heidelberg study: the collective movement of the pathogens is largely determined by physical principles The disease of malaria is triggered by single-celled parasites that accumulate in large groups in the salivary glands of mosquitoes before transmission to human beings. The limited space there prevents them from actually moving, unless this restriction is lifted by means of appropriate experimental preparation.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 12.05.2022

An image of the Milky Way’s black hole
Observation with the Event Horizon Telescope improves our understanding of the processes at the galactic centre It sits deep in the heart of the Milky Way, is 27,000 light years from Earth, and resembles a doughnut. This is how the black hole at the centre of our galaxy appears in the image obtained by researchers using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).

Physics - Innovation - 11.05.2022

Physicists study optically induced quantum dynamics in single-photon emitters
For tomorrow's quantum technologies: hexagonal boron nitride under the magnifying glass / findings published in -Optica- Quantum technologies are a seminal field of research, especially in relation to their application in communication and computing. In particular, the so-called single-photon emitters - materials that emit single light quanta in quick sequence - are an important building block for such applications.

Computer Science - Physics - 06.05.2022

In balance: Quantum computing needs the right combination of order and disorder
Study shows that disorder in quantum computer chips needs to be designed to perfection / Publication in 'Nature Communications' Research conducted within the Cluster of Excellence 'Matter and Light for Quantum Computing' (ML4Q) has analysed cutting-edge device structures of quantum computers to demonstrate that some of them are indeed operating dangerously close to a threshold of chaotic meltdown.

Physics - Chemistry - 21.04.2022

Atomic terahertz vibrations generate soliton molecules
Stable packets of light waves - called optical solitons - are emitted in ultrashort-pulse lasers as a chain of light flashes. These solitons often combine into pairs with very short temporal separation. Introducing atomic vibrations in the terahertz range, researchers at the Universities of Bayreuth and Wroclaw have now solved the puzzle of how these temporal links are formed.

Physics - Microtechnics - 21.04.2022

Microdrones With Light-driven Nanomotors
04/21/2022 Propelling micrometre-sized drones using light only and exerting precise control: Physicists at the University of Würzburg have succeeded at this for the first time. Their microdrones are significantly smaller than red blood cells. A hand-held laser pointer produces no noticeable recoil forces when it is "fired" - even though it emits a directed stream of light particles.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 14.04.2022

MAGIC telescopes observe stellar explosion
The MAGIC telescopes have observed the nova RS Ophiuchi shining brightly in gamma rays at extremely high energy. The Gamma rays emanate from protons that are accelerated to very high energies in the shock front following the explosion. This suggests that novae are also a source of the ubiquitous cosmic radiation in the universe which consists mainly of protons rich in energy, which race through space at almost the speed of light.

Physics - 13.04.2022

Rotating blue laser light reveals unimagined dynamics in living cells
Using a novel laser-scanning microscope scientists observe processes in cells changing within milliseconds When cities transform into a colorful world of lights as darkness falls, it's often only possible to estimate their contours, which depending on the perspective can draw the attention to key details or trivia.

Physics - Research Management - 11.04.2022

Photon-photon interactions in the Standard Model and beyond: New research unit at JGU granted DFG funding
A pure quantum effect as the key to a better understanding of the subatomic world / New research program in Mainz bundles a wide range of expertise In classical physics, the superposition of light waves resulting in interference is a well-known phenomenon. An interaction of light rays in the sense of a scattering is, however, classically impossible.

Physics - Chemistry - 30.03.2022

Less waste from lower enriched Uranium targets
New separation process for key radiodiagnostic agent reduces radioactive waste Nuclear medicine uses technetium-99m among other things for tumor diagnostics. With over 30 million applications worldwide each year, it is the most widely used radioisotope. The precursor material, molybdenum-99, is mainly produced in research reactors.

Environment - Physics - 25.03.2022

Artificial hail for more accurate weather forecasts
Vertical wind tunnel at Mainz University supplies important data to facilitate the prediction of heavy rain, hail, and graupel precipitation When the low-pressure system dubbed Bernd decided to park itself over part of Central Europe in the summer of 2021, the hazards associated with excessive rainfall events were made dramatically apparent in the form of the resultant catastrophic flooding.

Physics - 25.03.2022

Physicists create extremely compressible ’gas of light’
Study by the University of Bonn could pave the way to new types of highly sensitive sensors Researchers at the University of Bonn have created a gas of light particles that can be extremely compressed. Their results confirm the predictions of central theories of quantum physics. The findings could also point the way to new types of sensors that can measure minute forces.

Chemistry - Physics - 21.03.2022

Chemists discover new reactivity of strained molecules
In synthetic organic chemistry, so-called cycloadditions are a particularly important class of reactions. With this type of reaction, ring-shaped molecules can be constructed simply and efficiently by joining ("adding") two compounds that each contain double bonds. A team led by Frank Glorius from the University of Münster has now succeeded in performing an unconventional cycloaddition in which a carbon-carbon double bond reacts with a carbon-carbon single bond.

Physics - Chemistry - 16.03.2022

Complex pathways influence time delay in ionization of molecules
Study shows how the mechanism of photoionization can be used to gain insights into complex molecular potentials How can researchers use the mechanism of photoionization to gain insight into complex molecular potential? This question has now been answered by a team led by Giuseppe Sansone from the Institute of Physics at the University of Freiburg.

Physics - 11.03.2022

Acoustic propulsion of nanomachines depends on their orientation
For the first time, physicists simulate the propulsion of freely orientable nanoparticles by travelling ultrasound waves / Study published in -ACS Nano- Microscopically tiny nanomachines which move like submarines with their own propulsion - for example in the human body, where they transport active agents and release them at a target: What sounds like science fiction has, over the past 20 years, become an ever more rapidly growing field of research.

Physics - 08.03.2022

Advances in micro-computed tomography
Researchers in biomedical physics and biology have significantly improved micro-computed tomography, more specifically imaging with phase contrast and high brilliance x-ray radiation. They have developed a new microstructured optical grating and combined it with new analytical algorithms. The new approach makes it possible to depict and analyze the microstructures of samples in greater detail, and to investigate a particularly broad spectrum of samples.

Life Sciences - Physics - 08.03.2022

The resolution of a molecular orchestra
Researchers at the University of Würzburg develop the "photoswitching fingerprint analysis". A unique technology that for the first time allows the analysis of molecular processes and revolutionises biomedical research. Super-resolution microscopy allows fluorescence images of cells, organelles and molecular complexes to be acquired with unprecedented spatial resolution.