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Silicon
solar cells capture only some of the spectrum
of sunlight, limiting their efficiency. A
mix of several metals and oxygen could lead
to solar cells that capture much more sunlight.
The key is misaligning the material's crystal
structure by infusing it with oxygen atoms.
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Spoke
polarization tightens focus
Conventional wisdom holds that you can't focus light
much beyond half its wavelength, which has computer
chipmakers scrambling to work out how to use extreme
ultraviolet and x-rays to make smaller circuits.
But scientists are coming up with tricks for getting
around this not-so-fundamental limit. One method
uses beams that look like doughnuts sporting spokes
to focus 40 percent more tightly.
Molecule
makes electric motor
Researchers have built molecules that can spin on
command, but finding a way to harness this molecular
motion to carry out work is more difficult. A molecule
that has a limited range of motion opens up new
possibilities. Fixing one side of the molecule to
a surface and the other to an object could make
for molecular valves and switches.
Optical
quantum memory designed
Quantum computers that use photons rather than atoms
or electrons are appealing because the equipment
needed to handle them can be relatively simple.
One challenge is making quantum memory devices that
will briefly store photons. A scheme for trapping
photons in fiber-optic loops and replacing the photons
that the loops absorb could be the answer.
News briefs
Printer
writes micro 3D objects... Tiny
rotors spin into place... Nanotube
forms drive shaft... Photons
teleported six kilometers... Magnets
align nanotubes in resin... Sturdy
quantum crypto proposed.
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