High-end wireless and cellular networks rely on light for the distribution of signals. The selective processing of such signals requires long delays: too long to support on a chip using light alone. A research team brought together light and ultrasonic waves to realize ultra-narrow filters of microwave signals, in silicon integrated circuits. The concept allows…

The James Webb Space Telescope team has fully deployed the spacecraft’s 70-foot sunshield, a key milestone in preparing it for science operations. The sunshield — about the size of a tennis court at full size — was folded to fit inside the payload area of an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket’s nose cone prior to launch.…

For the first time, researchers have discovered a way to obtain polarity and photovoltaic behavior from certain nonphotovoltaic, atomically flat (2D) materials. The key lies in the special way in which the materials are arranged. The resulting effect is different from, and potentially superior to, the photovoltaic effect commonly found in solar cells. Solar power…

Small modeling errors may accumulate faster than previously expected when physicists combine multiple gravitational wave events (such as colliding black holes) to test Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, suggest researchers. «Testing general relativity with catalogs of gravitational wave events is a very new area of research,» says Christopher J. Moore, a lecturer at the…

Neuroscientists developed a computer model that can localize sounds. The model, which consists of several convolutional neural networks, not only performs the task as well as humans do, it also struggles in the same ways that humans do when the task is made more difficult by adding echoes or multiple sounds. MIT neuroscientists have now…

Researchers have developed a new method for generating network layouts that allow for visualizing different information of a network in two- and three-dimensional virtual space and exploring different perspectives. The results could also facilitate future research on rare diseases by providing more versatile, comprehensible representations of complex protein interactions. Network visualizations allow for exploring connections…

Micro supercapacitors could revolutionize the way we use batteries by increasing their lifespan and enabling extremely fast charging. Manufacturers of everything from smartphones to electric cars are therefore investing heavily into research and development of these electronic components. Now, researchers have developed a method that represents a breakthrough for how such supercapacitors can be produced.…

An engineer is changing what we know about when water freezes as he pushes the limit and gets the best look yet at tiny drops of water as they freeze. Then when Ghasemi examined these tiny particles, he made another discovery. He could break the limit of when water freezes and maintain the tiny droplets…

Researchers have created a single chip that combines a transistor and micro-fluidic cooling system. Their research should help save energy and further shrink the size of electronic components. The best of both worlds In this ERC-funded project, Professor Elison Matioli, his doctoral student Remco Van Erp, and their team from the School of Engineering’s Power…

A new study shows that it is possible to use mechanical force to deliberately alter chemical reactions and increase chemical selectivity — a grand challenge of the field. The study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher Jeffrey Moore and Stanford University chemist Todd Martinezz demonstrates how external mechanical forces alter atomic motions to manipulate…