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Time Crystals...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 13, 2016 at 5:33am
Image Source: Technology Review


Topics: Computer Science, Quantum Computer, Quantum Mechanics


TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: Time crystals were first predicted in 2012. Now researchers have created time crystals for the first time and say they could one day be used as quantum memories.





Crystals are extraordinary objects, not least because of their symmetry. Crystals form repeating patterns that are the same in some directions but not all directions. That’s something of a surprise given that the laws of physics, which govern their formation, are the same in all directions.

That the laws of physics are spatially symmetrical but crystals are not is a phenomenon known as symmetry breaking. It comes about not by adding energy to a system, but by taking it away. Indeed, crystals are a manifestation of systems in their lowest energy states.

But the laws of physics are not only symmetrical in space but also in time. And that raises the interesting question of whether it is possible to break temporal symmetry in the same way. In other words, is it possible to create time crystals?

Abstract

Spontaneous symmetry breaking is a fundamental concept in many areas of physics, ranging from cosmology and particle physics to condensed matter. A prime example is the breaking of spatial translation symmetry, which underlies the formation of crystals and the phase transition from liquid to solid. Analogous to crystals in space, the breaking of translation symmetry in time and the emergence of a "time crystal" was recently proposed, but later shown to be forbidden in thermal equilibrium. However, non-equilibrium Floquet systems subject to a periodic drive can exhibit persistent time-correlations at an emergent sub-harmonic frequency. This new phase of matter has been dubbed a "discrete time crystal" (DTC). Here, we present the first experimental observation of a discrete time crystal, in an interacting spin chain of trapped atomic ions. We apply a periodic Hamiltonian to the system under many-body localization (MBL) conditions, and observe a sub-harmonic temporal response that is robust to external perturbations. Such a time crystal opens the door for studying systems with long-range spatial-temporal correlations and novel phases of matter that emerge under intrinsically non-equilibrium conditions.

Physics arXiv: Observation of a Discrete Time Crystal
J. Zhang, P. W. Hess, A. Kyprianidis, P. Becker, A. Lee, J. Smith, G. Pagano, I.-D. Potirniche, A. C. Potter, A. Vishwanath, N. Y. Yao, C. Monroe

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Ultrafast magnetism and THz spintronics...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 12, 2016 at 7:11am
FIG. 1.
Time scales of spin-dynamics. From single spin-flips and spin waves on THz frequencies to GHz magnetization precession (top). These are connected to possible future spintronic applications and devices from GHz to THz frequency generators (bottom). Reprinted with permission from Miao et al., Rep. Prog. Phys. 74, 036501 (2011). Copyright 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.


Topics: Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Spintronics


Abstract

This year the discovery of femtosecond demagnetization by laser pulses is 20 years old. For the first time, this milestone work by Bigot and coworkers gave insight directly into the time scales of microscopic interactions that connect the spin and electron system. While intense discussions in the field were fueled by the complexity of the processes in the past, it now became evident that it is a puzzle of many different parts. Rather than providing an overview that has been presented in previous reviews on ultrafast processes in ferromagnets, this perspective will show that with our current depth of knowledge the first applications are developed: THz spintronics and all-optical spin manipulation are becoming more and more feasible. The aim of this perspective is to point out where we can connect the different puzzle pieces of understanding gathered over 20 years to develop novel applications. Based on many observations in a large number of experiments. Differences in the theoretical models arise from the localized and delocalized nature of ferromagnetism. Transport effects are intrinsically non-local in spintronic devices and at interfaces. We review the need for multiscale modeling to address the processes starting from electronic excitation of the spin system on the picometer length scale and sub-femtosecond time scale, to spin wave generation, and towards the modeling of ultrafast phase transitions that altogether determine the response time of the ferromagnetic system. Today, our current understanding gives rise to the first usage of ultrafast spin physics for ultrafast magnetism control: THz spintronic devices. This makes the field of ultrafast spin-dynamics an emerging topic open for many researchers right now.

Journal of Applied Physics: Perspective: Ultrafast magnetism and THz spintronics
This Invited Perspective is part of the Special Topic “Cutting Edge Physics in Functional Materials” published in J. Appl. Phys. 120, 14 (2016).

 Jakob Walowski1 and Markus Münzenberg1

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Ferroptosis...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 11, 2016 at 6:20am
Cancer cells in mice undergoing ferroptosis in amino-acid-starved conditions with functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)-coated (PEGylated) near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent silica nanoparticles, referred to as Cornell dots (C dots). Death ("Sytox Green positivity") spreads cell-to-cell from the left side of the image to the right. Scale bar, 10 microns.


Topics: Biology, Cancer, Nanotechnology, Research


My father died from complications due to smoking and lung cancer; my mother was a breast cancer survivor and two members of my wife's family are undergoing treatment for bone and breast cancer. In addition, a friend from college and my Calculus/Karate instructor in college both survived Melanoma. You can see how my attention and concern gravitates toward research like this.

Silica nanoparticles less than 10 nm in diameter in size could be used to kill cancer cells in a process known as ferroptosis according to new work by researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The tumour-killing properties of the particles appear to be intrinsic to the particles themselves and as such they could be used as new therapeutic agents in their own right – without the addition of any cytotoxic molecules as is usually the case.

“The particles also appear to be well tolerated in normal biological tissue, so their cancer-cell-specific killing activity may represent a new therapeutic technique,” co-team leaders Michelle Bradbury and Michael Overholtzer tell nanotechweb.org.

The researchers performed their experiments on mice harbouring experimental tumours, including melanoma. They found that the silica nanoparticles, which were coated with ethylene glycol and functionalised with melanoma-targeting peptides, can bind to biological cells and deliver iron from their external environment into them. They thereby kill cancer cells by introducing large amounts of iron. This process is known as ferroptosis.

“The particles kill most efficiently when the cells have been starved, that is deprived of amino acids, which are essential cell nutrients,” explains Overholtzer. “For many cancers, their growth can outpace the development of a suitable vasculature, which is needed to deliver nutrients to the tumour. Indeed, tumour-associated vasculature is often dysfunctional or ‘leaky’ and as a result, cancer cells are known to experience periods where they do not receive enough nutrients to grow.

Nanotechweb.org: Silica nanoparticles suppress tumour growth, Belle Dumé

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Nobel Prize 2016 Economics...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 10, 2016 at 6:05am
Image Source: Twitter@Nobel Prize


Topics: Economics, Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize

October 3: Physiology or Medicine
October 4: Physics
October 5: Chemistry
October 7: Peace
October 10: Economic Sciences

Press Release: The Prize in Economic Sciences 2016
10 October 2016


The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2016 to

Oliver Hart

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

and

Bengt Holmström

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

“for their contributions to contract theory”

The long and the short of contracts

Modern economies are held together by innumerable contracts. The new theoretical tools created by Hart and Holmström are valuable to the understanding of real-life contracts and institutions, as well as potential pitfalls in contract design.

Society’s many contractual relationships include those between shareholders and top executive management, an insurance company and car owners, or a public authority and its suppliers. As such relationships typically entail conflicts of interest, contracts must be properly designed to ensure that the parties take mutually beneficial decisions. This year’s laureates have developed contract theory, a comprehensive framework for analysing many diverse issues in contractual design, like performance-based pay for top executives, deductibles and co-pays in insurance, and the privatisation of public-sector activities.

"The Prize in Economic Sciences 2016 - Press Release". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 10 Oct 2016
< http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/2016/press.html >

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Nobel Prize 2016 Peace...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 7, 2016 at 5:35am
Image Source: Nobel Prize dot org


Topics: Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize, Peace

October 3: Physiology or Medicine
October 4: Physics
October 5: Chemistry
October 7: Peace
October 10: Economic Sciences


The Nobel Peace Prize for 2016

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that has cost the lives of at least 220 000 Colombians and displaced close to six million people. The award should also be seen as a tribute to the Colombian people who, despite great hardships and abuses, have not given up hope of a just peace, and to all the parties who have contributed to the peace process. This tribute is paid, not least, to the representatives of the countless victims of the civil war.

President Santos initiated the negotiations that culminated in the peace accord between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas, and he has consistently sought to move the peace process forward. Well knowing that the accord was controversial, he was instrumental in ensuring that Colombian voters were able to voice their opinion concerning the peace accord in a referendum. The outcome of the vote was not what President Santos wanted: a narrow majority of the over 13 million Colombians who cast their ballots said no to the accord. This result has created great uncertainty as to the future of Colombia. There is a real danger that the peace process will come to a halt and that civil war will flare up again. This makes it even more important that the parties, headed by President Santos and FARC guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londoño, continue to respect the ceasefire.

The fact that a majority of the voters said no to the peace accord does not necessarily mean that the peace process is dead. The referendum was not a vote for or against peace. What the "No" side rejected was not the desire for peace, but a specific peace agreement. The Norwegian Nobel Committee emphasizes the importance of the fact that President Santos is now inviting all parties to participate in a broad-based national dialogue aimed at advancing the peace process. Even those who opposed the peace accord have welcomed such a dialogue. The Nobel Committee hopes that all parties will take their share of responsibility and participate constructively in the upcoming peace talks.

"The Nobel Peace Prize 2016 - Press Release". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 7 Oct 2016
< http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2016/press.html >

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Nobel Prize 2016 Chemistry...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 5, 2016 at 6:04am
Image Source: DNA India


Topics: Chemistry, Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize

October 3: Physiology or Medicine
October 4: Physics
October 5: Chemistry
October 7: Peace
October 10: Economic Sciences


Press Release: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016

5 October 2016

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 to

Jean-Pierre Sauvage

University of Strasbourg, France

Sir J. Fraser Stoddart

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

and

Bernard L. Feringa

University of Groningen, the Netherlands

"for the design and synthesis of molecular machines"

They developed the world's smallest machines

A tiny lift, artificial muscles and miniscule motors. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 is awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa for their design and production of molecular machines. They have developed molecules with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added.

The development of computing demonstrates how the miniaturisation of technology can lead to a revolution. The 2016 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry have miniaturised machines and taken chemistry to a new dimension.

The first step towards a molecular machine was taken by Jean-Pierre Sauvage in 1983, when he succeeded in linking two ring-shaped molecules together to form a chain, called a catenane. Normally, molecules are joined by strong covalent bonds in which the atoms share electrons, but in the chain they were instead linked by a freer mechanical bond. For a machine to be able to perform a task it must consist of parts that can move relative to each other. The two interlocked rings fulfilled exactly this requirement.

The second step was taken by Fraser Stoddart in 1991, when he developed a rotaxane. He threaded a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and demonstrated that the ring was able to move along the axle. Among his developments based on rotaxanes are a molecular lift, a molecular muscle and a molecule-based computer chip.

Bernard Feringa was the first person to develop a molecular motor; in 1999 he got a molecular rotor blade to spin continually in the same direction. Using molecular motors, he has rotated a glass cylinder that is 10,000 times bigger than the motor and also designed a nanocar.

"The 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Press Release". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 5 Oct 2016
< http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2016/press.html >

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Nobel Prize 2016 Physics...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 4, 2016 at 8:17am
Image Source: The Guardian


Topics: Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize, Physics

October 3: Physiology or Medicine
October 4: Physics
October 5: Chemistry
October 7: Peace
October 10: Economic Sciences

Press Release: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2016
4 October 2016


The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2016 with one half to

David J. Thouless

University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

and the other half to

F. Duncan M. Haldane

Princeton University, NJ, USA

and

J. Michael Kosterlitz

Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

”for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter”

They revealed the secrets of exotic matter

This year’s Laureates opened the door on an unknown world where matter can assume strange states. They have used advanced mathematical methods to study unusual phases, or states, of matter, such as superconductors, superfluids or thin magnetic films. Thanks to their pioneering work, the hunt is now on for new and exotic phases of matter. Many people are hopeful of future applications in both materials science and electronics.

The three Laureates’ use of topological concepts in physics was decisive for their discoveries. Topology is a branch of mathematics that describes properties that only change step-wise. Using topology as a tool, they were able to astound the experts. In the early 1970s, Michael Kosterlitz and David Thouless overturned the then current theory that superconductivity or suprafluidity could not occur in thin layers. They demonstrated that superconductivity could occur at low temperatures and also explained the mechanism, phase transition, that makes superconductivity disappear at higher temperatures.

"The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics - Press Release". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 4 Oct 2016.
< http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2016/press.html >

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Nobel Prize 2016 Physiology...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 4, 2016 at 8:15am
Figure 1: Our cells have different specialized compartments. Lysosomes constitute one such compartment and contain enzymes for digestion of cellular contents. A new type of vesicle called autophagosome was observed within the cell. As the autophagosome forms, it engulfs cellular contents, such as damaged proteins and organelles. Finally, it fuses with the lysosome, where the contents are degraded into smaller constituents. This process provides the cell with nutrients and building blocks for renewal.


Topics: Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize, Physiology


I doubled up today due to yesterday's Netflix post. I'll follow the schedule as rolled out on NobelPrize.org:

October 3: Physiology or Medicine

October 4: Physics

October 5: Chemistry

October 7: Peace

October 10: Economic Sciences

Press Release

2016-10-03



The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award



the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine



to



Yoshinori Ohsumi



for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy



Summary

This year's Nobel Laureate discovered and elucidated mechanisms underlying autophagy, a fundamental process for degrading and recycling cellular components.



The word autophagy originates from the Greek words auto-, meaning "self", and phagein, meaning "to eat". Thus,autophagy denotes "self eating". This concept emerged during the 1960's, when researchers first observed that the cell could destroy its own contents by enclosing it in membranes, forming sack-like vesicles that were transported to a recycling compartment, called the lysosome, for degradation. Difficulties in studying the phenomenon meant that little was known until, in a series of brilliant experiments in the early 1990's, Yoshinori Ohsumi used baker's yeast to identify genes essential for autophagy. He then went on to elucidate the underlying mechanisms for autophagy in yeast and showed that similar sophisticated machinery is used in our cells.



"The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Press Release". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 3 Oct 2016. 
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The Power of Imagery...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 3, 2016 at 5:32am
Image Source: VIBE


Topics: African Americans, Diaspora, Diversity, Diversity in Science, Science Fiction


Marvel Comics has the distinction of diversifying American Mythology (comics) first with The Black Panther, Luke Cage et al, and it would be a while before DC Comics "got the memo." As is now evidenced in real-time after the Agents of Shield, Ant-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulk, Iron Man franchises and the soon-coming Black Panther and (yet another) Spider-man reboot, DC still appears to be behind the curve. "Black Lightning" and "Static Shock" seem to be clones of one another, as well as going from Hal Jordan to Jon Stewart as Green Lantern, ostensibly selected as a "backup." Mr. Terrific has had several incarnations in comics and on the CW's Arrow series. Cyborg, who will be in the Justice League movie, is an interesting yet mechanized character, more machine than man and gives rise to questions of his own humanity as well as Hollywood and technology's power over black bodies.

The latest is Luke Cage on Netflix, which had the distinction of being so popular this weekend it crashed their site [1]. An inquiry online found at least one friend had the same experience during our weekend's binge watching. I checked my credit card, and Netflix had taken its usual monthly fee on schedule.

There is as with any retelling some similarities and a lot of differences between the original character and the newer version. Such as: Luke had an Afro and "talked a lot of jive," which resonated with the audience Marvel was trying to reach at that time. It definitely did with me and my friends. This Luke reads a lot of black literature with a clear knowledge of self and history, and is a subtler, hipper version of the now defunct (but in DVD format) "Schoolhouse Rock."

Netflix alludes to his previous career in law enforcement that wasn't in the original version, which explained his tracking abilities pre his eventful "accident," aided by a rabidly racist guard. The "science" or fiction thereof as anything else in Marvel stems from the Super Soldier serum that created Captain America and most of the Marvel superhero pantheon. His prison break was as I remembered, but his homage to how "Luke Cage: Hero for Hire" used to look was brief and hilarious to witness! I won't spoil it, but if you're confused, Google some old classic images of him, and compare it to Mike Colter's enactment. As the actor eludes, Harlem is as much a character in the series [2], a subtle history of literature and heroes like Crispus Attucks, Malcolm X, David Dinkins and others name-dropped for a new generation of millennials that have lost faith in traditional institutions like government, church and Civil Rights leaders, who may be ready for an impervious Steve Biko from "around-the-way."

The shear brilliance of a bullet-proof black superhero in light of black bodies falling in the streets is ironically well-timed; as artful as starting a lot of the stories from their end, and filling in the blanks the rest of the episode, a respite from what the author Touré (last week) filling in on the Karen Hunter Show on Sirius XM aptly referred to their sheer repeated orgy and negative psychological impact as "snuff films." Netflix's Luke Cage series gives those of us affected in our spirits a world of larger-than-life heroes as well as the quintessential villains (Cottonmouth) as respite to momentarily escape to.

 "We are one bullet away from being a hashtag" is an oft-repeated meme as frustration builds when media follows the typical formula after the pending hashtag expires from life: any infraction with the law, even jaywalking must be trotted out as an evidence and reason for the public execution by the state. From a brief humorous cameo in his former seventies hero garb; to the homage to Trayvon Martin slaughtered by an unqualified idiot (whose name I won't type or mention). The Luke Cage for THIS age like his original version has no mask, disguise or secret identity. He's a man as "Pops" inspired him to be, "going forward" garbed in nothing but grit, bullet-proof skin, super-powered muscles, righteous indignation, honor, nobility...

And a HOODIE! We are all Luke Cage. #HoodieUp

1. Entertainment: Marvel's Luke Cage is so popular, it actually caused Netflix to crash
2. NBC News: 'Luke Cage' Stars, But Harlem is Second Lead in Netflix Series

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400 ppm...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 30, 2016 at 6:17am
Image Source: Link below


Topics: Climate Change, Existentialism, Global Warming


I can callously not care: after all, giving patterns in my own family, I'm doubting I'll be here in 2050 (88) or 2100 (138) especially. I would like to think my remains - reclaimed in promession - will be aiding a Maple tree with nourishment and growth.

However, there is a strong possibility my children will be here, and so will in turn any children they may procreate.

Resources are strained as we have overachieved in the Biblical mandate "be fruitful and multiply"in a society that encourages consumption, eschews conservation and praises waste. This naturally leads to income disparity and hoarding and callousness by the 1%. John Calhoun's experiments with our rodent cousins he wrote up in 1962 (joy: the year of my birth) was likely used as source material for many Dystopian novels. The bridge from Utopian to Dystopian society had the coined apropos name "behavioral sink."

Despite the best wishes of Stephen Hawking, we're not at the point of sub-light or warp travel. And, what about our behaviors would change to where we wouldn't become "Manifest Destiny" intergalactic locusts, in due time with colonial capitalism ravage yet another habitable planet?



I can't "complete the circle of life" nourishing a tree on a dysfunctional planet.

The bad news: Earth's climate change problem just passed a point of no return. Atmospheric carbon levels have passed 400 parts per million, and they won't return to more environment-friendly levels "ever again for the indefinite future."

The good news? Oh, wait, no. Sorry. We're pretty screwed.

We already knew it was bad. After all, in the last 20 years, humanity destroyed 1.27 million square miles—10 percent—of the Earth's wilderness. Climate change has "devastated" 93 percent of the Great Barrier Reef. The world's so screwed that genius Stephen Hawking recently claimed that "the human race has no future if it doesn't go to space."

But now we really, really know we're in trouble. Scientist Ralph Keeling, who's in charge of the Scripps Institute for Oceanography's carbon dioxide monitoring program, wrote in a blog that "it already seems safe to conclude that we won’t be seeing a monthly value below 400 ppm this year—or ever again for the indefinite future."

Similarly, NASA's chief climate scientist Gavin Schmidt told Climate Central, “In my opinion, we won’t ever see a month below 400 ppm.”



A lot of problems come with climate change. Because of it, one-fourth of the Earth's species could be extinct by 2050. It also screws up food webs, as polar bears are finding out the hard way. Millions and millions of people will have to relocate due to rising sea levels, with scientists estimating that over 13 million Americans might have to move by 2100.

Complex:
Enjoy Earth While It Lasts: Atmospheric Carbon Levels Pass the Point of No Return
Mac MacCann

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Sustaining Qubits...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 29, 2016 at 12:20pm
Image Source: Link below


Topics: Computer Science, Photonics, Quantum Computer, Quantum Mechanics


When the quantum computer was imagined 30 years ago, it was revered for its potential to quickly and accurately complete practical tasks often considered impossible for mere humans and for conventional computers. But, there was one big catch: Tiny-scale quantum effects fall apart too easily to be practical for reliably powering computers.

Now, a team of scientists in Japan may have overcome this obstacle. Using laser light, they have developed a precise, continuous control technology giving 60 times more success than previous efforts in sustaining the lifetime of "qubits," the unit that quantum computers encode. In particular, the researchers have shown that they can continue to create a quantum behavior known as the entangled state—entangling more than one million different physical systems, a world record that was only limited in their investigation by data storage space.

This feat is important because entangled quantum particles, such as atoms, electrons and photons, are a resource of quantum information processing created by the behaviors that emerge at the tiny quantum scale. Harnessing them ushers in a new era of information technology. From such behaviors as superposition and entanglement, quantum particles can perform enormous calculations simultaneously. The report of their investigation appears this week in the journal APL Photonics.

Phys.org: Quantum computing advances with control of entanglement

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Shrinking Hard Drive...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 28, 2016 at 5:22am
Photomontage of a diamond and a hard-drive head. (Courtesy: I Jakobi)


Topics: Computer Engineering, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science


A nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect in diamond has been used to create a magnetometer that can measure the broadband magnetic fields generated by hard-disk write heads. The work was done by researchers in Germany and the UK who have shown that a single NV can detect the oscillating and static magnetic fields associated with write heads at nanometre resolution. The new work could help further miniaturize hard-disk drives, thereby increasing their data-storage capacity.

"The hard-disk industry currently has no established sensors that can resolve the magnetic field of write heads on the scale of 5–10 nm," explains team-member Ingmar Jakobi of the University of Stuttgart. "This is a serious impediment for developing these devices, which will carry the biggest share of data in the ever-growing digital world."

The NV defect in diamond offers a solution to this problem because it comprises a single electron spin that is highly isolated from its immediate surroundings. This spin is essentially a tiny magnet that could be used to detect changes in a magnetic field over nanometre distances.

Physics World:
Diamond magnetometer could help shrink computer hard drives, Belle Dumé

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MOSAIC and SOLO from MARVEL comics

Posted by Geoff Thorne on September 27, 2016 at 11:30am

i don't know if i mentioned this but i have two comics coming out from MARVEL next month. One is MOSAIC and you can get a free prelude to the book at AMAZON or COMIXOLOGY.

FREE MOSAIC PRELUDE

FREE MOSAIC ON COMIXOLOGY

I'm also co-writing SOLO with Gerry Duggan. It's a spinoff from DEADPOOL. It's a globe-spanning adventure with spies and assassins and lots of humor. 

There's no free preview but we think it's big fun.

Both series are ongoing and BOTH should be of interest to this community. Neither is bringing what folks seem to expect.

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FAST Telescope...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 27, 2016 at 6:39am
Image source: Nature News, link below


Topics: Astronomy, Gravitational Waves, Radio Astronomy, SETI


Set in a remote natural depression in the mountainous region of Guizhou, China, the world’s largest single-dish telescope is on the brink of sparking a new era in radio astronomy. But scientists also worry about the daringly complex structure of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST).

“It will be the instrument of choice for any exotic object in its range,” says Matthew Bailes, an astrophysicist at the Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Australia. But “its design is so radical, we’re all wondering if it will work.”

On 25 September, FAST’s construction was declared officially complete. Some 200 scientists from around the world attended an inauguration ceremony and got their first look at FAST’s preliminary data, which will be used to debug the telescope. That process could take three years or more, says Peng Bo, an astronomer at the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing and the project’s deputy manager.

Then teams from around the world will be able to bid for time to use the telescope, FAST chief scientist Nan Rendong told Nature.

Many observatories are open to international teams, but astronomers were unsure whether FAST would be. “This is critical to achieving the best possible science,” says astronomer Jason Hessels at the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy in Amsterdam.

FAST has twice the effective collecting area of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and will scan twice as much sky (see ‘Galactic giant’). Size matters because many celestial objects are tough to detect. Spinning stars called pulsars and the cosmic clouds of hydrogen that hold clues to the origin of the Universe emit faint signals, whereas mysterious ‘fast radio bursts’ are transient. A larger -telescope increases the number of signals available, aiding the discovery and characterization of such objects.

Nan, who is an astronomer at the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing, says FAST will also be able to detect molecules from outer space that are suggestive of life, and plans to enlist the telescope in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI). The giant telescope is also likely to discover something completely unexpected, say astronomers.

Nature: Daring Chinese telescope is poised to transform astronomy, David Cyranoski

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Dolphin Dreams...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 26, 2016 at 6:42am
Artist's rendering of what the surface of the new planet Proxima Centaur B might look like Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser


Topics: Astrobiology, Astrophysics, Exoplanets, SETI, Star Trek


I recently purchased the documentary "For the Love of Spock" by Adam Nimoy, Leonard Nimoy's son (he had a son and daughter in his first marriage). It is a very good and touching biopic. One of the many scenes of the actor's career was Spock "mind-melding" with a humpback whale in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," in which Nimoy was very insistent on a story about them since then (and now) they're endangered with extinction. In the story line of Home, aliens were trying to communicate with Earth in a signal that Lieutenant Uhura unscrambled as the songs of whales, which existed only on Earth pre-23rd Century and pre-WWIII. The aliens - Spock reasoned - would have communicated with the only sentient species available at the time, since humans were kind of between Homo Erectus and building their first tools. This of course lead to the ubiquitous plot device of "sling-shot" time travel and a LOT of suspended belief if you are sitting in the theater quite familiar with "The Grandfather Paradox." It's "Trek": go with the bit...

Anyway, the title drew me in: "Do Dolphins Dream of Space Travel?" It was rather poetic, but it seemed to allude to a similar plot device that the author abandoned almost mid-essay, though it was very good writing. I wondered what a world - a water world - of dolphins would be like, or if beyond a brief foray about the surface of their oceans if they would regard the stars at all? It got me thinking of our fascination with the stars: we can see them as well as our other land sharing denizens too numerous to name; we're just the only ones that built telescopes to view them, writing and fiction to speculate about them and intact imaginations to fuel them.

It got me thinking about my Texas box turtle, "Speedy" (she's actually pretty fast, especially when she's hungry). Her terrarium is cleaned weekly; her water daily. She's fed at regular intervals a diet of crickets, land tortoise food with reptile vitamins and calcium coinciding with her UV lamp, timed on and off at 12-hour intervals.

What does she THINK of all this? What does she think of my (from her perspective) disembodied hand that reaches in and does all this "stuff" for her? When man was primitive with a limited understanding of the world, doxologies and myths were created before science was discovered. Now the two areas struggle to be the arbiters of explanation and meaning.

I guess for Speedy to have any thoughts about what all of my intervention means existentially, she would have to have an opposing thumb and develop her own language and writing to express them. On occasion, I take her out in the grass - weather permitting - to walk around as I stand guard for hawks that could swoop down and take her away. Maybe I should show her the stars as well to see how she reacts to them, the only evidence so far that I have of what she "thinks."

Scientific American: Do Dolphins Dream of Space Travel?
Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz is an astronomer at The Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

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A People's Journey...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 23, 2016 at 6:09am
Image Source: Washingtonian


Topics: African Americans, Diaspora, Diversity, History, STEM


As a parent, I exposed my sons to our culture and history through books like "Selected Poems by Langston Hughes"; "Complete Poems by Langston Hughes"; "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison; "Native Son" by Richard Wright. I also exposed them to books about black inventors, since I made most of my income in a STEM field.

Today is my oldest son's 34th birthday. Tomorrow, the National Museum of African American History and Culture opens. I gave a generous donation on the one day giving last Wednesday September 14th, a day before what would have been my mother's 91st birthday were she still alive. It was also to honor her memory.

I grew up in a de jure segregated neighborhood in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I usually open a conversation with someone of strong political views and negative stereotypes: "Have you ever met someone from a ghetto?" They are usually surprised to hear they've been talking to someone born into one. The home my parents owned was due to the laws at the time, legislating where a segment of society lived, even where I was born: Kate Bitting Hospital, at the time was one of 12 hospitals exclusively for African Americans. My kindergarten - Bethlehem Community Center - was specifically named by the Methodist Ministries as a designation of location: Bethlehem Community Centers were on "our" side of town; Wesley Community Centers on the west, whiter side, both have integrated over time. I didn't have a computer (no one did), but my parents purchased The Encyclopedia Britannica, a chemistry set, a microscope, a telescope, an electronics kit, tools and comics. I was as thrilled by educational shows like "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" as I was by Star Trek. I had excellent teachers that supplemented our out-of-date books with copies they xeroxed at their own cost. Both they and my parents were supporting all of us in a society designed to not give the proper resources for my friends and I to succeed. It had its moments, but it wasn't the dystopian nightmare some orange political figures have recently labeled it.

I lament the crisis going on in Charlotte, North Carolina. The seeds of this bitter outrage were sown with Klan activities both repelled and lethal; threats and crosses burned when certain families left "their place"; redlining as I alluded to in my parents' case and the shooting of yet another Scott: Walter in South Carolina, Keith in North Carolina. As is now customary in such crises, the dead's previous sins are brought forward by the media, and used to justify their public execution. It is ironic that Walter had a weapon dropped next to his body; Keith was murdered (if it was a gun, and not a book) ironically, by a black policeman in an open carry state.

We have sojourned in this land since 1619. Benjamin Banneker laid the design and foundations of our nation's capital. Slaves built the Executive Mansion. Norbert Rillieux, Benjamin Montgomery, Elijah McCoy, Lewis Howard Latimer, Andrew Jackson Beard, Jan Earnest Matzeliger, Daniel Hale Williams, M.D., Granville T. Woods, George Washington Carve, Madame C. J. Walker, Garrett Augustus Morgan, Ernest Everett Just, PhD; Frederick McKinley Jones, David Nelson Crosthwait, Jr., Percy Lavon Julian, PhD, Charles Richard Drew, M.D., Claude Harvard, Jane Cook Wright, M.D., Meredith Gourdine, M.D., Michael Croslin, PhD, Earl D. Shaw, PhD, John P. Moon, George E. Carruthers, PhD, Shirley Ann Jackson, PhD: all in the book "Black Stars: African American Inventors" by Otha Richard Sullivan and Jim Haskins. I hope they are ALL in the museum, a dream and life's mission of Congressman John Lewis. There are too many negative stereotypes constantly reinforced by an entertainment complex dominated by the European culture with citizens that typically don't live near African Americans and to this day, de facto self-segregate economically through opportunities and resources allocated in political fiat. It is the very reason ALL elections are important.

Also I hope, along with inventors, the one man that broke a 232-year hegemony of white male rule. 100% efficiency is anathema in Thermodynamics, as it implies something that cannot exist: a perpetual motion machine. Barack Hussein Obama has been vilified because of his name, because of his complexion, because of his intellect, because of his preparation; because of his effectiveness. A meeting was held the night of his inauguration to oppose ANYTHING he proposed, even if they had previously been for it. He was forced to show his long form birth certificate by the current front runner who wasn't satisfied and doubted it publicly for four years until last Friday in a faux news conference/hotel infomercial. He is the only chief executive that was disrespected during a State of the Union (Joe Wilson - R-SC) "you LIE." He's had records set on the number of filibusters filed against his legislation. He has brokered the Paris Climate accords. He is arguably our most effective president, but for the not-too-subtle subtext of America that predates him, a sour milk of rage nursed from the end of the Civil War to the present. He is both the culmination of what's possible in America and a public indictment to its hypocrisy. Hopefully, that door of 2.3% "Other" will be expanded to 4.4% as another wall; another glass ceiling crumbles. Change is a part of life. That is the change that will make us an even better nation than callously stoked fears.

America could not be America without our input. Every movement: Women's Suffrage; Women's Rights; LGBT and Human Rights have patterned themselves after our straightened backs did not bend. Our backs are further braced by the demonstrators in Charlotte exercising their First Amendment Rights, and my fraternity brother Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem to express his.

This is a journey we've made and continue to make for a better nation. We should be proud of it, and ourselves.
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What i've been up to

Posted by Mecanical Pencils on September 22, 2016 at 2:23pm

Hello creators!. Been dabbling in writing again. Hope to start with short stories to get my feet wet and some illustrations to go along with it. I'm pretty shy about posting my written work...like most people, you are your worse critic.....lol. But thanks to a network of awesome talented friends i'm pushing myself out ther. 

wish me luck!

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