ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

Exotic states materialize with supercomputers Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:46 PM PST Supercomputers used to find new class of materials that exhibit exotic matter state known as the quantum spin Hall effect. The researchers propose a new type of transistor made from these materials.

Data-storage for eternity, stored in the form of DNA Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:46 PM PST How can we preserve our knowledge today for the next millennia? Researchers have found a way to store information in the form of DNA, presumably preserving it for nearly an eternity.

Explaining 30-year-old 'hidden order' physics mystery Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:46 PM PST A new explanation for a type of order, or symmetry, in an exotic material made with uranium is a major step toward explaining a puzzle that physicists worldwide have been struggling with for 30 years. This 'hidden order' appears as a subtle change in the material's electrical and magnetic properties when the material is cooled to 17.5 degrees above absolute zero or lower -- a bone-chilling minus 428 degrees Fahrenheit.

Application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo samples refines lunar impact history Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:45 PM PST Researchers have now refined the timeline of meteorite impacts on the moon through a pioneering application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo 17 samples.

Switching superconductivity by light Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:44 PM PST A research team has developed a novel superconducting transistor which can be switched reversibly between on and off by light irradiation. This achievement is a milestone for future high-speed switching devices or highly sensitive optical sensors.

Step toward rational design of catalysts: Better catalysts, made-to-order Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:14 AM PST Scientists have captured enough data on crucial steps in a chemical reaction to accurately predict the structures of the most efficient catalysts, those that would speed the process with the least amount of unwanted byproducts. The new approach could help chemists design catalysts that are not just incrementally better, but entirely new.

First glimpse of a chemical bond being born Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:14 AM PST Scientists have gotten the first glimpse of the transition state where two atoms begin to form a weak bond on the way to becoming a molecule. This fundamental advance, long thought impossible, will have a profound impact on the understanding of how chemical reactions take place and on efforts to design reactions that generate energy, create new products and fertilize crops more efficiently.

Bacterial armor holds clues for self-assembling nanostructures Posted: 11 Feb 2015 12:39 PM PST Researchers have uncovered key details in the process by which bacterial proteins self-assemble into a protective coating, like chainmail armor. This process can be a model for the self-assembly of 2-D and 3-D nanostructures.

New design tool for metamaterials Posted: 09 Feb 2015 01:15 PM PST Researchers have shown that it is possible to predict the nonlinear optical properties of metamaterials using a recent theory for nonlinear light scattering when light passes through nanostructures.