ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Atomic-scale investigations solve key puzzle of LED efficiency
• Cradle turns smartphone into handheld biosensor
• Biophysicists measure mechanism that determines fate of living cells
• A quantum simulator for magnetic materials
• Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film
• Accurate distance measurement resolves major astronomical mystery
• Stitching defects into world’s thinnest semiconductor
• Hubble reveals the Ring Nebula’s true shape
• Hidden population of exotic neutron stars
• Flat spray-on optical lens created
• Spheres can form squares
• How do cold ions slide?
• Quest for quantum computing advanced
• Spectacular stellar nursery: ESO's Very Large Telescope celebrates 15 years of success

Atomic-scale investigations solve key puzzle of LED efficiency Posted: 23 May 2013 03:03 PM PDT From the high-resolution glow of flat screen televisions to light bulbs that last for years, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) continue to transform technology. The celebrated efficiency and versatility of LEDs -- and other solid-state technologies including laser diodes and solar photovoltaics -- make them increasingly popular. Their full potential, however, remains untapped, in part because the semiconductor alloys that make these devices work continue to puzzle scientists. Scientists have now used electron microscopy imaging techniques to settle a solid-state controversy and raise new experimental possibilities.

Cradle turns smartphone into handheld biosensor Posted: 23 May 2013 01:22 PM PDT Researchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. Researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone's built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor to detect toxins, proteins, bacteria, viruses and other molecules. Although the cradle holds only about $200 of optical components, it performs as accurately as a large $50,000 spectrophotometer in the laboratory.

Biophysicists measure mechanism that determines fate of living cells Posted: 23 May 2013 11:37 AM PDT For the first time, biophysicists have measured the molecular force required to mechanically transmit function-regulating signals within a cell. A new laboratory method, named the tension gauge tether approach, has made it possible to detect and measure the mechanics of the single-molecule interaction by which human cell receptors are activated.

A quantum simulator for magnetic materials Posted: 23 May 2013 11:36 AM PDT Physicists have developed a quantum simulator that allows arranging atoms in a way that they mimic the behavior of electrons in magnetic materials. The experiment opens up the possibility of systematically studying poorly understood properties of novel materials. The fresh insights might lead to designs for new magnetic materials.

Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film Posted: 23 May 2013 11:35 AM PDT A billon-frames-per-second film has captured the vibrations of gold nanocrystals in stunning detail for the first time.

Accurate distance measurement resolves major astronomical mystery Posted: 23 May 2013 11:30 AM PDT Astronomers have resolved a major problem in their understanding of a class of stars that undergo regular outbursts by accurately measuring the distance to a famous example of the type.

Stitching defects into world’s thinnest semiconductor Posted: 23 May 2013 08:38 AM PDT Researchers have grown high-quality crystals of molybdenum disulfide, the world's thinnest semiconductor, and studied how these crystals stitch together at the atomic scale to form continuous sheets, gaining key insights into the optical and electronic properties of this new "wonder" material.

Hubble reveals the Ring Nebula’s true shape Posted: 23 May 2013 08:32 AM PDT The Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star reveal a new twist.

Hidden population of exotic neutron stars Posted: 23 May 2013 08:25 AM PDT Magnetars -- the dense remains of dead stars that erupt sporadically with bursts of high-energy radiation -- are some of the most extreme objects known in the Universe. A major campaign using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and several other satellites shows magnetars may be more diverse -- and common -- than previously thought.

Flat spray-on optical lens created Posted: 23 May 2013 07:18 AM PDT Engineers have made a breakthrough utilizing spray-on technology that could revolutionize the way optical lenses are made and used.

Spheres can form squares Posted: 23 May 2013 06:31 AM PDT Everybody who has tried to stack oranges in a box knows that a regular packing of spheres in a flat layer naturally leads to a hexagonal pattern, where each sphere is surrounded by six neighbours in a honeycomb-like fashion. Researchers now report an exception to this rule: when small, micrometer-sized particles are placed on a curved oil-water surface, they arrange in a square pattern, as on a chessboard.

How do cold ions slide? Posted: 23 May 2013 05:29 AM PDT Things not always run smoothly. It may happen, actually, that when an object slides on another, the advancement may occur through a 'stop and go' series in the characteristic manner which scientists call "stick-slip", a pervasive phenomenon at every scale, from earthquakes to daily-life objects, up to the "nano" dimension.

Quest for quantum computing advanced Posted: 23 May 2013 05:29 AM PDT Scientistst investigating the properties of ultra-thin films of new materials are helping bring quantum computing one step closer to reality.

Spectacular stellar nursery: ESO's Very Large Telescope celebrates 15 years of success Posted: 23 May 2013 05:29 AM PDT With this new view of a spectacular stellar nursery ESO is celebrating 15 years of the Very Large Telescope — the world's most advanced optical instrument. This picture reveals thick clumps of dust silhouetted against the pink glowing gas cloud known to astronomers as IC 2944. These opaque blobs resemble drops of ink floating in a strawberry cocktail, their whimsical shapes sculpted by powerful radiation coming from the nearby brilliant young stars.

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