研究者らが、光を利用して多方向に制御可能な極小デバイスを開発した。これにより、光駆動型宇宙船の実現に向けた前進が見られる。シリコン製のこの「メタジェット」は、実験室環境での試験において、宇宙空間で大型の帆を操縦する上で有望な結果を示した。今回のブレークスルーは、広大な距離を移動する際、こうした宇宙船の舵取りにおける現在の課題を克服する助けとなる可能性がある。
テキサスA&M大学の科学者チームは、直径わずか0.01ミリメートルのシリコンウェハーである「メタジェット」を開発した。このデバイスには、光を屈折させて制御可能な運動量を生み出す微細な柱状構造を備えたメタサーフェスが採用されている。これにより、反射を主な動力源とする従来の光帆とは異なり、垂直方向および水平方向の両方へ移動させることが可能となった。
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Physicists at MIT have developed a new microscope using terahertz light to directly observe hidden quantum vibrations inside a superconducting material for the first time. The device compresses terahertz light to overcome its wavelength limitations, revealing frictionless electron flows in BSCCO. This breakthrough could advance understanding of superconductivity and terahertz-based communications.
Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have successfully tested larger rotor blades that spin faster than the speed of sound without breaking apart. The milestone, announced on Thursday, boosts lift capability by 30 percent for future Mars missions.
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A team from Xidian University has developed a car-mounted microwave wireless power system that kept fixed-wing drones airborne for up to 3.1 hours. The system uses GPS positioning, dynamic tracking, and onboard flight controls to maintain alignment between the emitter and drone during flight. The findings were published on March 25 in the peer-reviewed journal Aeronautical Science & Technology.
Scientists at the University of Basel and ETH Zurich have reversed the polarity of a specialized ferromagnet with a focused laser beam, without heating the material. This achievement, detailed in Nature, combines electron interactions, topology, and dynamical control in a single experiment. The method hints at future light-based electronic circuits on chips.
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Researchers led by Jun Ye at JILA in Boulder, Colorado, suggest placing an ultrastable laser in one of the moon's permanently shadowed craters to enhance navigation for lunar landers and rovers. The frigid, vibration-free environment near the lunar poles could enable unprecedented precision in timing and positioning. This setup might support activities from lunar timekeeping to satellite coordination.
An international team of researchers has achieved a milestone in quantum communication by teleporting the polarization state of a single photon between two separate quantum dots over a 270-meter open-air link. The experiment, conducted at Sapienza University of Rome, demonstrates the potential for quantum relays in future quantum networks. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
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Researchers at MIT have discovered that chaotic laser light can self-organize into a highly focused pencil beam, enabling 3D imaging of the blood-brain barrier 25 times faster than current methods. The technique allows real-time observation of drugs entering brain cells without fluorescent tags. This breakthrough could speed up development of treatments for neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and ALS.