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 Olivier Alirol, Physicist, Resonance Science Foundation Research Scientist

Recently, electromagnetic radiation in the terahertz (THz) frequency range has emerged as one of the most promising imaging techniques for a variety of applications in science and engineering.  The potential and suitability of the THz technology for practical applications such as the nondestructive testing field has been released by the recent progress in producing efficient sources and detectors. Thanks to the development of ultra-fast components in both photonics and electronics, the situation is evolving rapidly.

THz waves, residing at a relatively unexplored region between the microwave and infrared, roughly 0.1-10THz, is one of the last frontiers in the electromagnetic spectrum.  Unlike X-ray, THz is a non-ionizing radiation. It causes no known harm to the human body and the materials being examined.  Moreover, THz can penetrate many common gases, non-polar liquids, and...

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...