Quantum quirk yields giant magnetic effect, where none should exist

By Rice University - Friday, February 26th, 2021

In a twist befitting the strange nature of quantum mechanics, physicists have discovered the Hall effect — a characteristic change in the way electricity is conducted in the presence of a magnetic field — in a nonmagnetic quantum material to which no magnetic field was applied.

The discovery by researchers from Rice University, Austria’s Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), Switzerland’s Paul Scherrer Institute and Canada’s McMaster University is detailed in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Of interest are both the origins of the effect, which is typically associated with magnetism, and its gigantic magnitude — more than 1,000 times larger than one might observe in simple semiconductors.

Light unbound: Data limits could vanish with new optical antennas

By University of California - Berkeley - Thursday, February 25th, 2021

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a new way to harness properties of light waves that can radically increase the amount of data they carry. They demonstrated the emission of discrete twisting laser beams from antennas made up of concentric rings roughly equal to the diameter of a human hair, small enough to be placed on computer chips.

‘Beautiful marriage’ of quantum enemies

By Cornell University - Monday, February 22nd, 2021

Cornell University scientists have identified a new contender when it comes to quantum materials for computing and low-temperature electronics.
Using nitride-based materials, the researchers created a material structure that simultaneously exhibits superconductivity — in which electrical resistance vanishes completely — and the quantum Hall effect, which produces resistance with extreme precision when a magnetic field is applied.

New ecofriendly way to make ammonia could be boon for agriculture, hydrogen economy

By University of New South Wales - Thursday, February 4th, 2021

Chemical engineers at UNSW Sydney have found a way to make ‘green’ ammonia from air, water and renewable electricity that does not require the high temperatures, high pressure and huge infrastructure currently needed to produce this essential compound.