Sally Johnson

1 week ago | laserfocusworld.com | Sally Johnson

A new twist on sintering developed by North Carolina State University engineers led by Cheryl Xu, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, taps lasers to turn raw materials—in either liquid or powder form—into ceramic materials with potential for space, defense, and nuclear power applications that must withstand ultrahigh temperatures within extreme environments.

2 weeks ago | laserfocusworld.com | Sally Johnson

Rice University scientists recently reported a direct observation of an elusive quantum phenomenon theoretically predicted more than 50 years ago—and it opens a new frontier in quantum materials research. The superradiant phase transition (SRPT) has intrigued physicists for decades because it represents a profound type of quantum phase transition driven purely by collective coupling between quantum vacuum fluctuations and materials.

3 weeks ago | laserfocusworld.com | Sally Johnson

A team of researchers in Italy recently discovered that a mixture of ultracold gases shaped into a filament breaks up akin to a jet of water into multiple droplets, thanks to surface tension. Droplets formed from quantum gases—quantum droplets—are tiny clusters of atoms with liquid-like properties whose stability is ensured by quantum effects.

1 month ago | laserfocusworld.com | Sally Johnson

As the worlds of advanced semiconductor packaging, optics, photonics, and networking converge to accommodate the performance needs of high-performance computing, AI data centers, and quantum computing, it’s becoming essential to combine optical and electrical functions within the same package, a.k.a. copackaged optics. Why turn to copackaged optics with silicon photonics as a solution? It accommodates bandwidth density and energy efficiency challenges.

1 month ago | laserfocusworld.com | Sally Johnson

A recent collaboration led by University of Innsbruck researchers in Austria revealed that hot (alive) Schrödinger cat states can indeed be created within a superconducting microwave resonator—and it means quantum phenomena can be generated and used within less perfect and warmer conditions than previously believed.