Article by Dr. Olivier Alirol, Physicist, Resonance Science Foundation Research Scientist

One difficulty of making quantum systems is because the qubits have to be maintained coherent during the whole process. Thus, due to the current technology, the qubits must be very close to each other, about 10 to 20 nm apart, in order to communicate. This leaves little room to place the electronics needed to make a quantum computer work. And one of these essential part to make a functional circuit is the circulator.

The circulator, like the insular, is crucial to communication systems for the manipulation of signals. For example, in the case of a RF signal, the isolator can be used to protect other RF components from excessive signal reflection. On the other hand, the RF circulator is usually used to control the direction of the signal flow in a circuit. These devices are essential to give a strict direction to processing signals and avoid any parasitic backward movement. The control of such...

Article by Dr. Olivier Alirol, Physicist, Resonance Science Foundation Research Scientist

In 2015, after 85 years of searching, researchers confirmed the existence of a massless particle called the Weyl fermion. With the unique ability to behave as both matter and anti-matter inside a crystal, this quasiparticle is like an electron with no mass. The story begun in 1928 when Dirac proposed an equation for the foundational unification of quantum mechanics and special relativity in describing the nature of the electron.  This new equation suggested three distinct forms of relativistic particles:  the Dirac, the Majorana, and the Weyl fermions. And recently, an analog of Weyl fermions has been discovered in certain electronic materials exhibiting a strong spin orbit coupling and topological behavior. Just as Dirac fermions emerge as signatures of topological insulators, in certain types of semimetals, electrons can behave like Weyl fermions.

These Weyl fermions are what can be...

By Dr. Amira Val Baker, Resonance Science Foundation Astrophysicist

Superconductivity is a sought-after effect, but unfortunately it only enters this state at extremely low temperatures. Normal conductors are wasteful and inefficient so the desire to understand superconductivity and replicate the effects at higher temperatures is paramount.

A team of scientists now believe they may just be on the edge of these important insights. In an experiment conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory, the team led by Hu Miao utilized a technique called resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) to track position and charge of the electrons.

What they found is that at high temperatures when superconductivity vanishes powerful waves of electrons begin to uncouple and behave independently. Studying these waves allows a new way of exploring the relationship between spin and charge – which seems to be affected when transitioning from the hottest temperatures allowable for superconductivity...

by Olivier Alirol, Resonance Science Foundation Research Scientist

Stochastic processes are ubiquitous in nature. Also known as random processes, they can take multiple forms like a random walk, or a game of chance. Their studies have played a pivotal role in the development of modern physics starting with Langevin and the Brownian motion well illustrated by pollen grain floating in water. Recent advances in measurement precision and resolution have extended the framework of Brownian motion to unprecedented space-time scales and to a wider variety of systems, including atomic diffusion in optical lattices and spin diffusion in liquids. Studies of such systems are providing insights into the mechanisms and interactions responsible for stochasticity.

For example, membrane fluctuations are also a purview of Brownian motion. Where it becomes really interesting is when properly understood, the random membrane fluctuations can be usefully exploited for energy harvesting. From a stochastic...

Article by Dr. Olivier Alirol, Resonance Science Foundation Research Scientist

The consequences of human activity on our environment has been proven and sadly can be observed on a daily basis. Even the Chinese government is taking action to face the ongoing problematic smog spread all across Chinese Cities. They recently decided drastic measures closing up to 40% of their factories [1]. One of the problems we are all facing is global warning. New data from NASA experts resulting from satellite photography shows that the Greenland ice sheets are melting two times faster than previously expected. However, in a recent paper published last September, scientists exposed new results showing a much lower impact of CO₂ on climate change [2]. They reviewed their model and announced their previous estimation for the impact of CO₂ was 50% overestimated meaning the emission budget is now 2 to 3x higher than announced making Paris agreement more feasible.

Of course releasing...

Article by Dr. Olivier Alirol, Physicist, Resonance Science Foundation Research Scientist

Finding a new energy storage material is a great challenge and sodium is showing great promise. Being one of the two main ingredients in the salt, it is very abundant, non-toxic and cheap. However, it is very difficult to produce a sodium based battery. The problem is, when exposed to air, the metals in a sodium battery’s cathode can be oxidized, decreasing the performance of the battery or even rendering it completely inactive.

In the last years, research on the development of sodium-ion batteries have been making great progress in terms of performance utilizing layered transition-metal oxides and polyanions. It appears that the sodium compounds can be promising compared with their lithium analogs. Combining, the layered metal oxides with polyanions will offer a good compromise between high energy densities and stable cycle life.

Article by Dr. Olivier Alirol, Physicist, Resonance Science Foundation Research Scientist

Water is one of the most basic molecules we can find in the Universe but this tiny molecule is still keeping some interesting secrets. Its physics could be very surprising.  Among its various properties, water can exist in three different states, either as solid ice, liquid water, or vapor gas. But this common knowledge could change in a near future. A team of researchers from Stockholm University in Sweden has found a new liquid form for water with a different density.

Water molecules are polarized and it exists some sort of dynamic network between these molecules. It has been postulated that water’s hydrogen-bonding network can exist in two liquid forms of different densities, namely high-and low-density liquid water. During recent work, these forms were recently simulated but direct experimental evidence was still missing. Furthermore, it was also hypothesized that the...

Fluid dynamics is an ongoing topic with many surprising aspects. One of these is the Leidenfrost effect. It comes from the name of the German scientist who described it for the first time: Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost. It occurs when a liquid, in contact with an object significantly warmer than the liquid's boiling temperature, produces a vapor layer which surrounds the object and thus isolates it from the direct thermal exchanges with the object.

Like many fluid dynamic aspects, this phenomenon is poorly understood and yet it has important implications for the thermodynamics of evaporation – and could also have a range of applications in water cooling microchips or moving chemical molecules.

In Russia, Researcher Oleg A. Kabov from Institute of Thermophysics and his team have also been studying this interesting effect [1]. In particular, they looked at levitating droplets of liquid condensate and their organization into ordered arrays.

Array of levitating droplets...