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Earth Sciences - Physics - 01.03.2023 
How Patterns Emerge in Salt Deserts
By Susanne Filzwieser The honeycomb patterns which are often found in salt deserts in Death Valley and Bolivia, among other places, look like something from another world. Researchers, including those from TU Graz, explain the origin of the mysterious patterns for the first time. Honeycomb patterns form in salt deserts all over the world, for example in the Badwater Basin of Death Valley in California or in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.
Physics - 28.02.2023 
A motion freezer for particles
Tailor-made laser light fields can be used to slow down the movement of several particles and thus cool them down to extremely low temperatures - as shown by a team from TU Wien. Using lasers to slow down atoms is a technique that has been used for a long time already: If one wants to achieve low-temperature world records in the range of absolute temperature zero, one resorts to laser cooling, in which energy is extracted from the atoms with a suitable laser beam.
Chemistry - Physics - 27.02.2023 
Chaos on the Nanometer Scale
Sometimes, chemical reactions do not solely run stationary in one direction, but they show spatio-temporal oscillations. At TU Wien, a transition to chaotic behavior on the nanometer scale has now been observed. Chaotic behavior is typically known from large systems: for example, from weather, from asteroids in space that are simultaneously attracted by several large celestial bodies, or from swinging pendulums that are coupled together.
Physics - Electroengineering - 27.01.2023 
Increasing the storage time of quantum information in semiconductor nanostructures.
Countries and corporations around the world are researching a completely new type of computer - quantum computers. But the road to usability is arduous. Researchers at Johannes Kepler University Linz have succeeded in making progress in the storage of quantum information as part of an international collaboration.
Physics - Chemistry - 25.01.2023 
The Last Mysteries of Mica
A well-known mineral is once again the center of attention thanks to applications in electronics: the Vienna University of Technology shows that mica still has surprises in store. At first glance, mica is something quite ordinary: it is a common mineral, found in granite for example, and has been extensively studied from geological, chemical and technical perspectives.
Physics - Chemistry - 18.01.2023 
A new, better technology for X-ray laser pulses
Simpler and much more efficient than ever before: A new technology for producing X-ray laser pulses has been developed at TU Wien. The X-rays used to examine a broken leg in hospital are easy to produce. In industry, however, X-ray radiation of a completely different kind is needed - namely, X-ray laser pulses that are as short and high-energy as possible.
Physics - 18.01.2023 
Blast Chiller for the Quantum World
The quantum nature of objects visible to the naked eye is currently a much-discussed research question. A team led by Innsbruck physicist Gerhard Kirchmair has now demonstrated a new method in the laboratory that could make the quantum properties of macroscopic objects more accessible than before. With the method, the researchers were able to increase the efficiency of an established cooling method by a factor of 10.
Physics - 12.12.2022 
Chaos Gives the Quantum World a Temperature
Two seemingly different areas of physics are related in subtle ways: Quantum theory and thermodynamics. How chaos theory mediates between them has now been studied at TU Wien. A single particle has no temperature. It has a certain energy or a certain speed - but it is not possible to translate that into a temperature.
Health - Physics - 02.12.2022 
Through quantum biology to new therapeutic approaches
Researchers at the University of Innsbruck investigated the effect of nuclear magnetic resonance on cryptochrome, an important protein of the "internal clock". To their surprise, the results of the experiments could only be explained by quantum mechanical principles - and could enable completely new therapeutic approaches.
Physics - Chemistry - 28.11.2022 
How to fire projectiles through materials without breaking anything
When charged particles are being shot through ultra-thin layers of material, sometimes spectacular micro-explosions occur, sometimes the material remains almost intact. This has now been explained at the TU Wien. It sounds a bit like a magic trick: Some materials can be shot through with fast, electrically charged ions without exhibiting holes afterwards.
Physics - 21.11.2022 
A Quantum of an Angle
The fine structure constant is one of the most important natural constants of all. At TU Wien, a remarkable way of measuring it has been found - it shows up as a rotation angle. One over 137 - this is one of the most important numbers in physics. It is the approximate value of the so-called fine structure constant - a physical quantity that is of outstanding importance in atomic and particle physics.
Materials Science - Physics - 16.11.2022 
Ceramic coatings do not fatigue
What determines the durability of high-performance coatings for turbines or highly stressed tools? Surprising results from TU Wien show: It is not material fatigue. Extremely thin ceramic coatings can completely change the properties of technical components. Coatings are used, for example, to increase the resistance of metals to heat or corrosion.
Mathematics - Physics - 09.11.2022 
The theory of micro-hairs
Tiny hairs on cell walls, so-called -cilia-, can move in unison to pump fluid. Now there finally is a physical theory describing these hairs' movements. They are only very simple structures, but without them we could not survive: Countless tiny hairs (cilia) are found on the outer wall of some cells, for example in our lungs or in our brain.
Physics - 09.11.2022 
The theory of micro-hairs
Tiny hairs on our cell walls can move together and thus pump fluid. Now they have succeeded in developing a physical theory of these hairs' movements . They are just very simple structures, but without them we could not survive: Countless tiny hairs are found on the outer wall of some cells, for example in our lungs or even in our brain.
Physics - Chemistry - 08.11.2022 
Faster and more Efficient Computer Chips Thanks to Germanium
TU Wien (Vienna) has succeeded in making a new type of material usable for chip technology. This enables faster, more efficient computers and new types of quantum devices. Our current chip technology is largely based on silicon. Only in very special components a small amount of germanium is added. But there are good reasons to use higher germanium contents in the future: The compound semiconductor silicon-germanium has decisive advantages over today's silicon technology in terms of energy efficiency and achievable clock frequencies.
Physics - Computer Science - 28.10.2022 
New kind of universal quantum computers
The computing power of quantum computers is currently still very low. Increasing it is currently still proving to be a major challenge. Physicists at the University of Innsbruck now present a new architecture for a universal quantum computer that overcomes such limitations and could be the basis for building the next generation of quantum computers in the near future.
Physics - Materials Science - 17.10.2022 
Growth of Nanoholes Visible for the First Time Thanks to Helium Scattering
By Birgit Baustädter Scientists at TU Graz in cooperation with the University of Surrey were able to observe and document the growth of hexagonal boron nitride for the first time. The material is mainly used in microelectronics and nanotechnology. Atomically thin 2D materials for applications in microelectronics or nanotechnology are grown by breaking down gas on a hot metal surface.
Physics - 11.10.2022 
Nuclear fusion: A new solution for the instability problem
For fusion reactors like ITER, plasma instabilities are a major challenge. A research team around the nuclear fusion group at TU Wien has now found a promising solution. Nuclear fusion power plants could one day provide a sustainable solution to our energy problems - but to date there is no commercial nuclear fusion reactor in operation.
Materials Science - Physics - 10.10.2022 
Topological Materials Become Switchable
Because they are extremely stable, so-called "topological states" play an important role in materials research. Now, for the first time, it has been possible to switch such states on and off. A donut is not a breakfast roll. Those are two very clearly distinguishable objects: One has a hole, the other does not.
Physics - Chemistry - 28.09.2022 
Three Eyes See More than Two
Researchers at TU Vienna and FHI Berlin succeeded in monitoring a catalytic reaction with three different microscopies under exactly the same conditions in real time. In this way, information is obtained that none of the methods alone could reveal. One has to look very closely to exactly understand what processes take place on the surfaces of catalysts.
Physics
Results 1 - 20 of 362.
By Susanne Filzwieser The honeycomb patterns which are often found in salt deserts in Death Valley and Bolivia, among other places, look like something from another world. Researchers, including those from TU Graz, explain the origin of the mysterious patterns for the first time. Honeycomb patterns form in salt deserts all over the world, for example in the Badwater Basin of Death Valley in California or in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.
Tailor-made laser light fields can be used to slow down the movement of several particles and thus cool them down to extremely low temperatures - as shown by a team from TU Wien. Using lasers to slow down atoms is a technique that has been used for a long time already: If one wants to achieve low-temperature world records in the range of absolute temperature zero, one resorts to laser cooling, in which energy is extracted from the atoms with a suitable laser beam.
Sometimes, chemical reactions do not solely run stationary in one direction, but they show spatio-temporal oscillations. At TU Wien, a transition to chaotic behavior on the nanometer scale has now been observed. Chaotic behavior is typically known from large systems: for example, from weather, from asteroids in space that are simultaneously attracted by several large celestial bodies, or from swinging pendulums that are coupled together.
Countries and corporations around the world are researching a completely new type of computer - quantum computers. But the road to usability is arduous. Researchers at Johannes Kepler University Linz have succeeded in making progress in the storage of quantum information as part of an international collaboration.
A well-known mineral is once again the center of attention thanks to applications in electronics: the Vienna University of Technology shows that mica still has surprises in store. At first glance, mica is something quite ordinary: it is a common mineral, found in granite for example, and has been extensively studied from geological, chemical and technical perspectives.
Simpler and much more efficient than ever before: A new technology for producing X-ray laser pulses has been developed at TU Wien. The X-rays used to examine a broken leg in hospital are easy to produce. In industry, however, X-ray radiation of a completely different kind is needed - namely, X-ray laser pulses that are as short and high-energy as possible.
The quantum nature of objects visible to the naked eye is currently a much-discussed research question. A team led by Innsbruck physicist Gerhard Kirchmair has now demonstrated a new method in the laboratory that could make the quantum properties of macroscopic objects more accessible than before. With the method, the researchers were able to increase the efficiency of an established cooling method by a factor of 10.
Two seemingly different areas of physics are related in subtle ways: Quantum theory and thermodynamics. How chaos theory mediates between them has now been studied at TU Wien. A single particle has no temperature. It has a certain energy or a certain speed - but it is not possible to translate that into a temperature.
Researchers at the University of Innsbruck investigated the effect of nuclear magnetic resonance on cryptochrome, an important protein of the "internal clock". To their surprise, the results of the experiments could only be explained by quantum mechanical principles - and could enable completely new therapeutic approaches.
When charged particles are being shot through ultra-thin layers of material, sometimes spectacular micro-explosions occur, sometimes the material remains almost intact. This has now been explained at the TU Wien. It sounds a bit like a magic trick: Some materials can be shot through with fast, electrically charged ions without exhibiting holes afterwards.
The fine structure constant is one of the most important natural constants of all. At TU Wien, a remarkable way of measuring it has been found - it shows up as a rotation angle. One over 137 - this is one of the most important numbers in physics. It is the approximate value of the so-called fine structure constant - a physical quantity that is of outstanding importance in atomic and particle physics.
What determines the durability of high-performance coatings for turbines or highly stressed tools? Surprising results from TU Wien show: It is not material fatigue. Extremely thin ceramic coatings can completely change the properties of technical components. Coatings are used, for example, to increase the resistance of metals to heat or corrosion.
Tiny hairs on cell walls, so-called -cilia-, can move in unison to pump fluid. Now there finally is a physical theory describing these hairs' movements. They are only very simple structures, but without them we could not survive: Countless tiny hairs (cilia) are found on the outer wall of some cells, for example in our lungs or in our brain.
Tiny hairs on our cell walls can move together and thus pump fluid. Now they have succeeded in developing a physical theory of these hairs' movements . They are just very simple structures, but without them we could not survive: Countless tiny hairs are found on the outer wall of some cells, for example in our lungs or even in our brain.
TU Wien (Vienna) has succeeded in making a new type of material usable for chip technology. This enables faster, more efficient computers and new types of quantum devices. Our current chip technology is largely based on silicon. Only in very special components a small amount of germanium is added. But there are good reasons to use higher germanium contents in the future: The compound semiconductor silicon-germanium has decisive advantages over today's silicon technology in terms of energy efficiency and achievable clock frequencies.
The computing power of quantum computers is currently still very low. Increasing it is currently still proving to be a major challenge. Physicists at the University of Innsbruck now present a new architecture for a universal quantum computer that overcomes such limitations and could be the basis for building the next generation of quantum computers in the near future.
By Birgit Baustädter Scientists at TU Graz in cooperation with the University of Surrey were able to observe and document the growth of hexagonal boron nitride for the first time. The material is mainly used in microelectronics and nanotechnology. Atomically thin 2D materials for applications in microelectronics or nanotechnology are grown by breaking down gas on a hot metal surface.
For fusion reactors like ITER, plasma instabilities are a major challenge. A research team around the nuclear fusion group at TU Wien has now found a promising solution. Nuclear fusion power plants could one day provide a sustainable solution to our energy problems - but to date there is no commercial nuclear fusion reactor in operation.
Because they are extremely stable, so-called "topological states" play an important role in materials research. Now, for the first time, it has been possible to switch such states on and off. A donut is not a breakfast roll. Those are two very clearly distinguishable objects: One has a hole, the other does not.
Researchers at TU Vienna and FHI Berlin succeeded in monitoring a catalytic reaction with three different microscopies under exactly the same conditions in real time. In this way, information is obtained that none of the methods alone could reveal. One has to look very closely to exactly understand what processes take place on the surfaces of catalysts.
