[Image above] Credit: ACerS
ENERGY
Tiny quantum nanostructures could make AI less of an energy hog(opens in new tab)
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison designed a new type of quantum nanostructure that could enable optical neural networks. This emerging technology has the potential to make artificial intelligence systems faster and significantly more energy efficient.
Pressurized experiments could help wind farms generate more power(opens in new tab)
By pressurizing wind tunnels, researchers were able to simulate field conditions at wind farms and validate predictive models.
ENVIRONMENT
Tiny carbon particles may carry contaminants through water treatment filters(opens in new tab)
Researchers found that extremely small particles released from activated carbon and biochar can remain in treated water after sand filtration and even after filtration through a 0.45 μm membrane. More importantly, these particles can carry adsorbed contaminants with them.
Research powers up to help native grasses take root on solar farms(opens in new tab)
University of Alberta researchers explored how native vegetation responds to the microclimates created by solar panels. The results show that solar panel farms, despite their patchwork of growing conditions, can successfully support the reestablishment of native grasses if a strategic approach is used.
OTHER STORIES
New paper claims hafnium oxide is inherently antiferroelectric(opens in new tab)
University of Nebraska–Lincoln physicists used pulsed laser deposition to create an extremely thin layer of hafnium oxide on an underlying crystal. The crystal compressed the hafnia, stabilizing the atom arrangement that confers antiferroelectricity. The material countered the prevailing belief that as a material gets thinner, its antiferroelectric order becomes weaker.
New model explains why glass becomes less transparent to terahertz light(opens in new tab)
University of Tsukuba researchers developed a continuum model that explains why glass loses transparency to terahertz radiation above a characteristic frequency. This model links the terahertz dielectric response of glass to its internal mechanical properties and microscopic electric charge fluctuations.