Science Highlights

Astatine-211 (At-211) is a promising alpha emitting radioisotope for cancer therapy, but its short 7.2-hour half-life means that it must be handled quickly to minimize losses due to radioactive decay. In this research, scientists designed and tested an automated device for producing At-211 that improves production time and efficiency. The device also minimizes the dose of radioactivity to production staff and reduces the time needed to prepare samples for shipment.

Quantum computers have the potential to solve some problems much more efficiently than conventional computers. Researchers have now created a quantum computer algorithm for simulating coupled oscillators, systems of coupled masses and springs that are important for describing many real-world physical systems. The new algorithm results in exponentially faster simulation of coupled oscillators than ordinary algorithms.

The conditions for high fusion performance in fusion devices can result in damaging energy bursts called edge-localized modes (ELMs). ELMs can be stabilized through small adjustments to the magnetic confinement field, but this approach is usually limited to manual, preprogrammed responses. In this research, scientists integrated machine learning with adaptive control to achieve real-time adjustment capable of responding to the dynamic conditions of a fusion plasma in the DIII-D National Fusion Facility and Korea Institute of Fusion Energy KSTAR tokamaks.

In an LED, electroluminescence creates light through charge carriers that cause the semiconductor to emit photons. This emission can require more energy than is present in the semiconductor, and this excess energy comes from heat around the semiconductor. This makes a semiconductor into a cooling device. In this study, researchers proposed a way to improve the performance of this electroluminescent cooling by using multilayer semiconductors.

A method called quantum ghost imaging (QGI) allow scientists to capture images at extremely low light levels. QGI also enables the use of one color to examine a sample with extremely low light and another color to form the image. The method allows detailed imaging and monitoring without damage to live plants, allowing examination of active plant processes such as photosynthesis.

The way hydrocarbon molecules interact with light can affect the production of nitrous acid in the atmosphere. In this study, researchers used an ultrafast electron camera to image the motions of hydrocarbon molecules at ultrafast, ultrasmall scales. They identified a proton transfer step followed by an out-of-plane twisting motion as key components of energy relaxation after molecules interact with light.

Nuclear scientists used a new theoretical approach to calculate a value essential for unraveling the three-dimensional motion of quarks within a proton. The researchers obtained a significantly more accurate picture of these internal building blocks’ transverse motion. The work will aid in calculations of 3D motion of quarks and gluons in future collider experiments.

When molecules interact with ultraviolet (UV) light, they can change shape in processes that typically take just tens of picoseconds. In this study, researchers imaged these changes using X-ray free electron laser technology. They found that a strained bicyclic molecule emerges from the chemical reaction that occurs when a cyclopentadiene molecule absorbs UV light.