Topology can play a crucial role in the generation of laser light

A donut is not a bun. From a mathematical point of view, they are two fundamentally different objects: The donut has a hole, the bun does not. A circle inside the donut around its hole in the center cannot be shrunk to a ...

New sensor detects ever smaller nanoparticles

Conventional microscopes produce enlarged images of small structures or objects with the help of light. Nanoparticles, however, are so small that they hardly absorb or scatter light and, hence, remain invisible. Optical resonators ...

Oysters produce 3-D structures organised by physical processes

Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) have discovered that oysters are capable of producing three-dimensional structures organized by physical (colloidal) processes—the result of which resembles a solid foam—by ...

Mind and space bending physics on a convenient chip

Thanks to Einstein, we know that our three-dimensional space is warped and curved. And in curved space, normal ideas of geometry and straight lines break down, creating a chance to explore an unfamiliar landscape governed ...

After 90 years, scientists reveal the structure of benzene

One of the fundamental mysteries of chemistry has been solved by a collaboration between Exciton Science, UNSW and CSIRO – and the result may have implications for future designs of solar cells, organic light-emitting diodes ...

Spacetime—a creation of well-known actors?

Most physicists believe that the structure of spacetime is formed in an unknown way at the Planck scale, i.e., at a scale close to one trillionth of a trillionth of a metre. However, careful considerations undermine this ...

Graphene enters the stratosphere

The Centre for Advanced Two-Dimensional Materials (CA2DM) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has teamed up with US-based aerospace company Boreal Space to test the properties of graphene after it has been launched ...

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