This week we will look at a new type of glass that can scratch a diamond. We also investigate a project to map the whole ocean floor and discover a new reef off North Eastern Australia. We examine a new artificial neuron that can retain memories and finally we look at two Quantum discoveries that will help usher in Quantum Computing and a new age of Electronic devices.
Glass tougher than Diamonds
A team of researchers from Yongshan University in Hebie Provence in Northern China have developed a glassy, transparent carbon based material that is harder than diamonds. On the Vickers hardness test, natural diamonds score somewhere between 50 and 70 gigapascal (Gpa). This material reached 113 GPa. Hard enough to scratch a diamond.
Named AM-III the material is not strictly speaking a piece of glass but a glass with crystals inside. Under a microscope the most detailed structures of the material appear in order however zooming out the material looks like countless worms frozen in a dish. It is the combination of order and disorder that gives the unusual traits to the material. Diamonds on the other hand are crystals in which atoms and molecules line up in perfect order and direction.
The material is somewhat yellowish so it will not replace the windows in our homes. The glass also acts as a semiconductor almost as efficient as silicon. This capability will allow it to be used in photoelectric devices (including weapons) that need to function in extreme environments and temperatures.
In 2013 the same team created a boron nitrate crystal (200GPa) which is still the hardest known material.
Mapping the Ocean Floor
During 2020/1 the research vessel Falkor has been busy mapping the seabed off the coast of Eastern Australia. The project is part of Seabed 2030. A project that is developing a definitive map of the world’s ocean floor. Schmidt Ocean Institute is leading this project.
The team has developed a series of surface and subsurface autonomous drones that will be carrying out the project.
During their early work in 2020 the team discovered a new coral reef off the Queensland Coast. They found the deepest living hard corals and identified 10 new marine species of fish, snails and sponges. Fish that had never been seen in the region before, were also spotted. For example, the Holland Goslinei, a deepwater spike fish native to Hawaii was filmed.
You can watch videos of the dives here.
Artificial Neurons that retain Memories
The human brain is an incredibly efficient device. It consumes little energy whilst carrying out complex tasks with impressive efficiency. Mimicking these capabilities has long been a goal of researchers.
A team of French researchers working with scientists at the University of Manchester have developed a way to build a prototype artificial neuron made from extremely thin graphene slits housing a single layer of water molecules. Just like the human brain, the artificial neuron uses ions.
The brain’s efficiency is based around the neuron. Neurons contain nano-metric pores called ion channels. These channels open and close depending upon the stimuli. The ion flows generate an electric current (or an action potential), the crucial signals between neurons that let them communicate. Current Artificial Intelligence systems use tens of thousands times the amount of energy to accomplish the same task.
The design showed how an electric field could assemble the single layer of water molecules (in between the graphene slits) into elongated clusters which develop a property called the “memristor effect”. This is when clusters retain a portion of the stimuli received in the past, much like the human brain. The scientists then assembled these clusters so that they would reproduce the physical mechanism of emitting action potentials, i.e. the ability to communicate between artificial neurons in the same way that it is done in the brain.
The next step is to prove that these artificial neurons can execute basic learning algorithms. This may form the basis for electronic memory recall via artificial neurons.
Time to go down the Rabbit Hole
These next two breakthroughs are very technical but may prove crucial in the development of Quantum Computing and the next generation of electronics.
Controlling millions of spin bits with a single magnet
Quantum engineers at the University of New South Wales have developed a technique that will be capable of controlling millions of spin qubits (the basic computing unit in a silicon quantum processor).
Until now qubits have been controlled by microwave magnetic fields via a wire right beside the qubit. This wire generated heat and took up space. The magnetic field drops off with distance very quickly so only the qubits closest to the wire could be controlled. The chips operate at -270 degrees Celsius so heat generated from the wires was problematic and made the process impossible to scale beyond a few qubits.
The team developed a magnet that could generate a magnetic field from above the chip and manipulate all of the chips simultaneously. This idea was first proposed in the 1990’s however until now, nobody had worked out a practical way to do this.
A Crystal prism called a dielectric resonator was placed directly above the chip. When microwaves are directed into the resonator, it focuses the wavelength of the microwaves to a much smaller size. This very efficient conversion of microwave power into the magnetic field controls the spins of all the qubits. The low power means that very little heat is generated and the magnetic field is uniform across the chip giving the same level of control to millions of qubits.
The next step is to simplify the design of silicon quantum processors. The removal of the wires frees up a lot of space for additional qubits and other electronics required to build a quantum processor. This is an important step along the very long journey to Quantum Computing.
The discovery of a Topological Axion Insulator
Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston, along with several dozen scientists from around the world have unlocked a mystery that may pave the way for the next generation of electronic devices.
Their findings center on the discovery of a Topological Axion Insulator, a unique state of quantum matter. The researchers used a solid state chip of manganese bismuth telluride, adhered together in two dimensional layers to measure the resulting electric and magnetic properties.
The surface of the structure conducts electricity whereas the overall structure is largely non-conductive or insulating. This is an unusual property that is produced by the strong magneto electric coupling of the two layers.
The discovery could lead to the development of spintronic materials. These are materials that rely on the manipulation of quantum election spins. The electron spins dictate the direction of the magnetic field in the solid.
This advance in spintronics may solve a number of problems with today’s electronics including power consumption and operational speed. The researchers believe that there will be a wide range of applications including sensors, computers and memory storage devices. In other words, faster computers that use less power.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
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Till next week.