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Category: computing – Page 166

New microchip design harnesses sound waves on the surface for advanced sensing technologies

A team of researchers has for the first time successfully used lasers to generate guided sound waves on the surface of a microchip. These acoustic waves, akin to the surface waves produced during an earthquake, travel across the chip at frequencies nearly a billion times higher than those found in earth tremors.

By containing the sound wave on the surface of a chip, it can more easily interact with the environment, making it a perfect candidate for advanced sensing technologies.

The findings are published in APL Photonics.

Superconductivity offers new insights into quantum material MnBi₂Te₄

For the first time since the discovery of the material MnBi2Te4 (MBT), researchers at the University of Twente have successfully made it behave like a superconductor. This marks an important step in understanding MBT and is significant for future technologies, such as new methods of information processing and quantum computing.

MBT is a recently discovered material attracting attention due to its unique magnetic and . In their research, the scientists examined how electricity behaves in the material. The findings are published in the journal Communications Materials.

MBT’s topological properties cause electrons to move only along the edges of the material, and in theory, they should only move in a clockwise direction. However, the experiments at Twente demonstrated that under certain conditions, the electrons can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise.

Quantum entanglement speed is measured for the first time, and it’s too fast to comprehend

These scientists aren’t focused on the existence of quantum entanglement, but are keen on uncovering how it begins — how exactly do two particles become quantum entangled?

Using advanced computer simulations, they’ve managed to peek into processes that happen on attosecond timescales — a billionth of a billionth of a second.

Quantum entanglement is a strange and fascinating phenomenon where two particles become so interconnected that they share a single state.

New tech enables 3D printing electronics without semiconductors

Researchers at MIT have unexpectedly stumbled upon a way to 3D print active electronics – meaning transistors and components for controlling electrical signals – without the use of semiconductors or even special fabrication technology.

That goes far beyond what we can currently do with 3D printers. And if perfected, this method could eventually spell the beginning of a new wave in prototyping, experimentation, and even DIY projects for tinkerers at home.

With 3D printing, any of a range of materials including thermoplastic filaments, resin, ceramic, and metal, are laid down in successive thin layers to form a three-dimensional object. That means you can print all kinds of things, from action figures to jewelry to furniture to buildings.

Data centers could be used as residual power generators as researchers generate 500MWh in a year from a single DC by recycling wasted wind

HVAC systems common in data centers expel warm air outdoors, creating a consistent, untapped wind resource that can be converted into electricity. In a case study of a Colombian data center, the researchers used vertical axis Tesup V7 wind turbines to capture this man-made waste wind. The turbines, installed atop chillers, were chosen because they minimized size and weight while maximizing electricity generation.

The amount of gross electricity produced annually by six wind turbines was 513.82MWh from artificial airflow, exceeding the energy consumption of the facility’s fans, and providing a surplus of 131.2MWh. The authors suggest this recycled energy can be used for other electrical needs within the data center or be injected into the electrical grid.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also highlighted the economic and environmental benefits. A positive cash flow is achieved by the third year, with an impressive internal rate of return of 50.69%. Environmentally, the system reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 300 metric tons annually.

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