Better solar energy harnessing?

Harnessing solar energy is a great way to reduce our dependence on other forms of energy. But the current efficiencies and costs are not too attractive. Could mimicking the way the plants harness energy (photosynthesis) be the answer? Some new insights showing a connection with quantum behaviour have been discovered (Nature 446 782). I do hope this is a useful step in finding more efficient ways to harness solar energy and leading to more cost effective manufacture.

Predicting solar activity

Predicting solar activity can be useful when you consider the disruption it causes to the communication systems. More in (Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 131101).

Infrared light for non-invasive scan

The infrascanner by Infrascan Inc. is a very simple device that uses infrared light to scan a surface injury like brain hematomas. This will be useful for paramedics to ascertain the injury or at hospitals that cannot afford more accurate but expensive equipment.

Organic nanowire spin valves with long spin relaxation times

I have not had the time to look into this but it appears that these spin valves could be useful in a quantum computer. If the spin relaxation time of 1 second is equivalent to the coherence time, it is long enough for a decent number of quantum computations. (Nature Nanotechnology 2, 216)

Non-invasive surgery using MRI

Non-invasive surgery can be conducted using magnetic resonance imaging by controlling the movement of a metal bead within the body. (App. Phys. Lett. 90 114105). This is not really marketable but it is nice to see physics in action within the medical field.

Better earthquake understanding?

From PhysicsWeb article:

In 1926, Russian physicist Yakov Frenkel proposed a theory that put a limit on the amount of stress a perfect crystal can withstand before its structural planes begin to slip over one another. Now, however, physicists from Norway have made a theoretical model showing that before Frenkel's limit is ever reached, crystals will deform due to a process called "thermal runaway" -- whereby strain and heat amplify rapidly. This could shed light on the mechanisms underlying deep earthquakes, and could help engineers to determine material tolerances more accurately
(Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 095504).

Quantized magnetoresistance could improve magnetic data storage

A recent article in Nature Nanotechnology (2, 171) could pave the way for better magnetic data storage devices. I am not too sure how long magnetic data storage devices will exist in the future. If the cost of semiconductor memory comes down sufficiently, they may replace magnetic devices completely. The abstract reads:

When the dimensions of a metallic conductor are reduced so that they become comparable to the de Broglie wavelengths of the conduction electrons, the absence of scattering results in ballistic electron transport¹ and the conductance becomes quantized. In ferromagnetic metals, the spin angular momentum of the electrons results in spin-dependent conductance quantization and various unusual magnetoresistive phenomena. Theorists have predicted a related phenomenon known as ballistic anisotropic magnetoresistance (BAMR). Here we report the first experimental evidence for BAMR by observing a stepwise variation in the ballistic conductance of cobalt nanocontacts as the direction of an applied magnetic field is varied. Our results show that BAMR can be positive and negative, and exhibits symmetric and asymmetric angular dependences, consistent with theoretical predictions.

Microscope that determines and manipulates atoms

A new atomic force microscope can determine and manipulate atoms on a surface. This is quite an advanced step because when I used one about seven years ago, it could only detect the position of atoms so that you could see the surface texture. This should be useful in designing devices for nanotechnology but the costs I would think will be significant. (Nature 446 64).

Better electron focus with graphene

Interesting to know that graphene could be produced to have negative refractive index which can then be used to focus electrons better than existing technology (Science 315 5816 ). Improving the focus of electrons means that you can improve the image you are after. I wonder whether it can be used to improve the focus of other particles?

Predicting hurricane intensity

Predicting a hurricane is useful and there are existing computer models that do a pretty good job. But predicting the intensity of a hurricane has been difficult. There is a paper (Science 315 1235) that claims to help predict when the hurricane will intensify and how strongly it will intensify.

No universally strong knot?

A paper (New Journal of Physics 9 65) discusses about the strength of knots depends on the type of material of the knot. This appears to suggest that there may not be a strongest knot for every material. I suppose industries that make use of knots must take heed. For instance, fishing nets should use the strongest knot for a particular material (environmentally, it would be nice to have nets that will break and release something like a dolphin).

Lasers save energy

According to physicsweb.org, a laser called a polariton laser saves energy compared to the conventional solid state lasers. It only uses a tenth of the energy. This is a significant saving. The polariton lasers did not used to operate at room temperature but now they do. They could be ideal for optical data storage devices. For details (Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 126405)

Nanotubes versus copper

Can nanotubes replace the copper fins that are attached to silicon chips for cooling purposes? Researchers have found that the nanotubes dissipate heat at the same rate as copper. The advantage is that the nanotubes are 10 times lighter, stronger and more flexible. If the price is right, great but I have a feeling that the costs could be a real turn off. Besides, how much of the weight say in a portable gadget like a mobile phone is made up of copper fins? The weight saving may well be imperceptible. Here is the reference for those who are interested (Appl. Phys. Lett. 90 123105).