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Transformation optics, metamaterials, nanophotonics, plasmonics

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Transformation optics is a field of optical and material engineering and science embracing nanophotonics, plasmonics, and optical metamaterials. Transformation optics may enable invisibility, ultra-powerful microscopes and computers by harnessing nanotechnology and “metamaterials.” The list of possible breakthroughs includes a cloak of invisibility; computers and consumer electronics that use light instead of electronic signals to process …

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Crude oil traded below $70 a barrel

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Light Sweet Crude oil traded below $70 a barrel today. The current reprieve from high energy costs should be used to aggressively pursue an effective energy policy. This site has discussed effective energy plans. Energy Technology PlanThis site has proposed an energy plan with a greater focus on applying better energy technology. The plan is …

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First Integrated Nanowire Sensor Circuitry

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Randomly oriented nanowires, on the growth substrate at left, are having a “bad hair day.” But after contact printing, the nanowires on the receiver substrate are highly aligned. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have created the world’s first all-integrated sensor circuit based …

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Optical lithography can go to 12 nanometers at least

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From the EEtimes, MIT researchers have solved issues with scanning beam interference lithography and have tested at 25 nanometers and believe they can get to 12 nanometers at least. This is a big deal because it will ensure that Moore’s law to continue to improve computers for another 15 years or more. Current lithography is …

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Spinal cord stem cells could enable new paralysis treatment

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A researcher at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells following an injury, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for debilitating spinal-cord injuries. Their results could lead to drugs that might restore some …

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Anton, special purpose supercomputer for molecular simulations

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A special purpose supercomputer, Anton, is being made to accelerate the modelling of protein folding and provide a thousandfold increase in performance for complex molecular simulations. The effort is being led by David E. Shaw, a billionaire computer scientist. In the 1990s, Mr. Shaw was one of the most successful of an elite group of …

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Toward Practical visible light metamaterial Hyperlens and new wireless metamaterial breakthroughs

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Xiang Zhang (on of the makers of the UV light hyperlens: Theoretically, the biggest obstacle [to progress on visible light hyperlens] is the inevitable loss in the metamaterials. This means that — to obtain reasonable transmission — the hyperlens can’t be very bulky; this will limit the magnification and imaging area …. Low loss metals …

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Silicon electronics providing early versions of nanomedicine expectations

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Nanowerk has a review of nanomedicine. In particular the EU view from the 7th FWP which refers to the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program this shows the many different aspects and capabilities related to nanomedicine The expected change in the understanding of disease that they discuss in this quote: Future nanomedical diagnostics with an ultimate …

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Neutron scatter Camera detects nuclear bombs at a distance

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Neutron cameras “can detect, unambiguously, at a greater distance, and through more shielding,” said Jim Lund, manager of the Rad/Nuc Detection Systems group at Sandia National Laboratories in Alameda, Calif. The neutron scatter camera has an advantage over traditional neutron detection because it can differentiate low energy neutrons from high energy neutrons. While some gamma …

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More technical details on Dwave System’s Quantum Computing

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D-Wave Senior Scientist and condensed matter physicist Mohammad Amin gave a highly technical presentation at MIT. (54 slides in this power point presentation) Dwave recently demonstrated a 28 qubit computer. They are predicting that they will have 512 qubit and 1024 qubit quantum computer systems in 2008. If Dwave is successful then in 2009 it …

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