Lifeboat Foundation

An infrared detector is sensitive to a wide range of intensities and could potentially pick up biomarkers from exoplanet atmospheres.

Many areas of astrophysics, cosmology, and exoplanet research would benefit from a highly sensitive and stable detector for light at wavelengths in the 10–100 µm range. Now researchers report building a detector that operates at 25 µm and that is suitable for hours-long operation in a telescope pointed at faint sources [1]. The device exploits the extreme sensitivity to light of a superconducting material patterned into a miniature photo-absorptive structure. The researchers expect that the design will find use in space telescopes launched in the next few years.

Light at wavelengths in the range 10–100 µm may carry crucial spectroscopic clues about biogenic gases in exoplanet atmospheres and could also help astrophysicists pin down details of early planetary formation and galactic evolution. Yet building detectors for this range of wavelengths is challenging for several reasons, says astrophysicist Peter Day of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Because the light from these sources is so faint, the detector has to perform stably over many hours of observation. Each pixel of the detector has to be capable of registering single photons yet also be accurate for sources as much as 100,000 times brighter than the faintest detectable source. The detector must also have an efficient way to read out information rapidly from thousands of identical pixels.

A short-lived combination of an electron and an antielectron has been cooled with lasers to near absolute zero—a step toward tackling fundamental questions about matter and antimatter.

Successful reduction of the chemical manufacturing industry’s environmental impact relies on finding a greener way to make the chemical building blocks for common and massively consumed compounds.

In 2023, the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission returned a sample of dust and rocks collected on the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. In addition to the information about the universe gleaned from the sample itself, the data generated by OSIRIS-REx might also present an opportunity to probe new physics. As described in Communications Physics, an international research team led by Los Alamos National Laboratory used the asteroid’s tracking data to study the possible existence of a fifth fundamental force of the universe.

Fusion researchers are increasingly turning to the element tungsten when looking for an ideal material for components that will directly face the plasma inside fusion reactors known as tokamaks and stellarators. But under the intense heat of fusion plasma, tungsten atoms from the wall can sputter off and enter the plasma. Too much tungsten in the plasma would substantially cool it, which would make sustaining fusion reactions very challenging.

Researchers from Tohoku University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled a new AI tool for high-quality optical spectra with the same accuracy as quantum simulations, but working a million times faster, potentially accelerating the development of photovoltaic and quantum materials.

Scientists are finding ways to use quantum effects to create groundbreaking thermal devices that can help cool electronic systems. The quantum thermal transistor is one of the most exciting innovations in this field. While the current works surrounding this device are still theoretical, recent advancements in the fabrication of qubits using quantum dots and superconducting circuits have created a growing sense of optimism.

A team of chemists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has succeeded in pulling an oxygen atom from a molecule and replacing it with a nitrogen atom. In their study, published in the journal Science, the group used photocatalysis to edit a furan in their lab.

CleanCo is reinforcing its commitment to Queensland’s clean energy future by exploring the potential to trial Australia’s largest grid-connected NAS® Battery Energy Storage System at the Swanbank Clean Energy Hub in Ipswich.

The partnership between Allset and CleanCo is a result of CleanCo’s proactive market engagement to identify emerging energy generation and storage technologies suitable for its Swanbank site. The parties will progress a feasibility study to finalise the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement to support a final investment decision for the battery’s installation.

The Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Energy Storage Research Group will play a key role as the knowledge sharing partner, bringing a wealth of knowledge to the project, having commissioned Australia’s first NAS Battery in 2023.

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