Solar cells turn sunlight into electricity, but they’re only about 20 percent efficient. Much of the leftover energy turns into heat, which actually harms the solar cell.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a huge particle accelerator, which played a key role in the detection of the elusive particle, Higgs boson. The LHC, buried beneath the Swiss-French border, requires a track extending 27 km for particle acceleration close to the velocity of light before the collision of the particles.
A group of researchers from the UK, including academics from Cardiff University, has demonstrated the first practical laser that has been grown directly on a silicon substrate.
A team of physicists from the University of California, San Diego and The University of Manchester is creating tailor-made materials for cutting-edge research and perhaps a new generation of optoelectronic devices. The materials make it easier for the researchers to manipulate excitons, which are pairs of an electron and an electron hole bound to each other by an electrostatic force.
A new method of developing polarizers, devices which rotate the plane of light, has been developed which mimics the way shrimps polarize light. Whilst humans use polarizers in sunglasses and DVD players shrimp have been using them to communicate without having to worry about any prey eavesdropping on their conversation.
Scientists from the University of Strathclyde have discovered that the charged particle motion can be controlled by the diffraction of ultra-intense laser light, traveling via a thin foil. The findings in the fundamental physics of the laser-plasma interactions, may have a major impact in the fields of security, industry, and medicine. This breakthrough holds immense potential in advancing compact, cost-effective, laser-powered particle accelerators.
What do astrophysics, telecommunications and pharmacology have in common? Each of these fields relies on polarimeters — instruments that detect the direction of the oscillation of electromagnetic waves, otherwise known as the polarization of light.
The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has recently partnered with NovaCentrix to install a specialist system designed for the high speed photonic curing of printed electronics inks. The NovaCentrix PulseForge 1300 state-of-the-art system is the first of its kind in the UK to be available to clients on an open access basis and will aid the commercialisation of a host of applications including printed sensing and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC) antennas for smart packaging. The recent installation builds upon CPI’s existing capability for the market adoption of printed sensing technologies, allowing companies to develop and scale up their concepts from laboratory scale right through to pilot production.
A team of physicists from ITMO University, Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute and Australian National University have researched the phenomenon of phase transition between photonic crystals and metamaterials - two types of periodic structures capable of manipulating light in intricate ways. The study helps to gain an insight into the fundamental properties of periodic structures and opens new possibilities for the design and creation of new electromagnetic materials. The results of the study were published in Nature Communications.
A dielectric film that has electronic and optical properties identical to air has been produced. The film is mechanically stable enough to be used in ultra-efficient electronic and photonic devices.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.