How do spiders pounce so quickly on hapless prey entangled in their webs? New research suggests that elaborate web “decorations” help transmit the wiggling signal from a trapped bug.
Category: electronics
Seeking Signatures of Graviton Emission and Absorption
A proposed experiment may deliver evidence for the emission or absorption of gravitons—an advance that might one day enable gravity to be controlled much like electromagnetism is today.
A major milestone in human development was the transition from passively observing electromagnetic phenomena, such as electric discharges and magnetism, to actively manipulating them. This shift led to a plethora of applications—from power plants to modern electronics. The exquisite control of electromagnetic fields and of their interaction with matter has also yielded deep insights into the fundamental laws of nature, allowing us to test modern theories with remarkable precision. Now Ralf Schützhold of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf in Germany argues that a similar turning point may be reached for gravity [1]. His approach for manipulating gravity relies on experiments that can control the emission or absorption of gravitons, the hypothetical elementary particles mediating the gravitational interaction in a quantized theory of gravity.
Study may lead to improved networked quantum sensing
Could global positioning systems become more precise and provide more accurate details on distances for users to get from point A to point B?
A study by University of Rhode Island assistant physics professor Wenchao Ge in collaboration with Kurt Jacobs, a physicist of quantum tech with the U.S. Army, which was recently published by Physical Review Letters, may lead to more enhanced quantum sensing and make such detection data more definitive.
Ge’s study, “Heisenberg-Limited Continuous-Variable Distributed Quantum Metrology with Arbitrary Weights” published by in September, looked at networked quantum sensing, which explores advanced sensor technology in an entangled network that could improve accuracy on how to measure, navigate and explore the world, such as by sensing changes in motion, and electric or magnetic fields.
Laser Beam Footage Captured On Two Billion FPS Camera
It’s not only fast enough to watch light move, it’s fast enough to see the past.
Hybrid metasurface modulates light at low voltages for energy-efficient optics
Metasurfaces are two-dimensional (2D), nanoengineered surfaces that interact strongly with electromagnetic waves and can control light with remarkable precision. These ultra-thin layers can be used to develop a wide range of advanced technologies, including optical photonic, sensing and communication systems.
Active metasurfaces, whose electromagnetic response can be dynamically tuned in real-time, are particularly promising for advanced real-world applications, particularly for the development of reconfigurable antennas, highly sensitive sensors and other adaptive systems. These metasurfaces can also serve as optical modulators, devices that adjust the intensity or phase of light and thus enable the encoding of information onto light beams.
While engineers have introduced various metasurface-based optical modulators over the past few years, most devices developed so far require high-voltage electrical signals to operate. This means that to noticeably change the optical response of the metasurfaces they are based on, users need to apply a strong electrical field to them.
Researchers discover spontaneous chirality in conjugated polymers
Chirality, a property where structures have a distinct left- or right-handedness, allows natural semiconductors to move charge and convert energy with high efficiency by controlling electron spin and the angular momentum of light. A new study has revealed that many conjugated polymers, long considered structurally neutral, can spontaneously twist into chiral shapes. This surprising behavior, overlooked for decades, could pave the way for development of a new class of energy-efficient electronics inspired by nature.
Twisting sound: Scientists discover a new way to control mechanical vibrations in metamaterial
Scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have discovered a way to control sound and vibrations using a concept inspired by “twistronics,” a phenomenon originally developed for electronics.
Their research, published in the journal PNAS, introduces “twistelastics”—a technique that uses tiny rotations between layers of engineered surfaces to manipulate how mechanical waves travel.
Sound and vibration control are essential for technologies like ultrasound imaging, microelectronics, and advanced sensors. Traditionally, these systems rely on fixed designs, limiting flexibility. The new approach allows engineers to reconfigure wave behavior by twisting two layers of engineered surfaces, enabling unprecedented adaptability.
New haptic system lets soft objects respond to taps, squeezes and twists
New technology that invites expressive, two-way communication between a person and the soft, flexible object they are holding or wearing has been developed at the University of Bath.
Using this system, a user can tap, twist or pinch a soft object—such as a cushion, an item of clothing or a pliable computer mouse—and the object will respond in a meaningful way, for instance, by changing the TV channel, turning off a light or creating a digital sculpture on a screen.
Crucially, the object also provides tactile feedback (such as a soft click or vibration) to confirm the action, while maintaining its natural softness and flexibility.
TSMC reduces peak power consumption of EUV tools by 44% — company to save 190 million kilowatt-hours of electricity by 2030
TSMC is also exploring the possibility of applying similar dynamic energy control mechanisms to other lithography equipment, including DUV scanners, as well as additional modules outside the lithography sector.
While TSMC did not reveal what, exactly, its EUV Dynamic Energy Saving Program involves, that it is applicable to DUV systems and other machinery means that it does not exploit EUV-specific peculiarities. For example, the program could implement adaptive power scaling based on real-time operational status. If wafers are not queued for immediate processing, the EUV tool could intelligently pause or shift to a low-power state rather than continuously consume full power. Such an approach would require real-time data exchange across the cleanroom as well as optimizations on process/production flow levels (though, we are speculating).
TSMC has been increasing the power efficiency of its EUV fab tools — which are notorious for their power consumption — for years, now. In mid-2024, the company announced that it had though without disclosing what exactly had been done…