A team of Caltech scientists has made the first experimental measurements of laser-induced motions of miniature lightsails in the lab.

The development of vehicle components is a lengthy and therefore very costly process. Researchers at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have developed a method that can shorten the development phase of the powertrain of battery electric vehicles by several months. A team led by Martin Hofstetter from the Institute of Automotive Engineering is combining simulation models of components with evolutionary optimisation algorithms. This AI system automatically optimises the entire powertrain – from the power electronics to the electric machine through to the transmission – in line with the manufacturer’s technical requirements, taking into account targets such as production costs, efficiency and package space requirements in the vehicle. The OPED (Optimisation of Electric Drives) software solution was developed at TU Graz and is the result of almost ten years of research. It is already being used successfully by a renowned Austrian automotive supplier.

The electronics of the future can be made even smaller and more efficient by getting more memory cells to fit in less space. One way to achieve this is by adding the noble gas xenon when manufacturing digital memories. This has been demonstrated by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, in a study published in Nature Communications. This technology enables a more even material coating even in small cavities. 

NIST scientists have developed a new method for measuring temperature extremely accurately by using giant “Rydberg” atoms. This atomic thermometer provides accurate measurements “out of the box,” without needing initial factory adjustments, because it relies on the basic principles of quantum physics. By using Rydberg atoms’ sensitivity to environmental changes, this technique could simplify temperature sensing in extreme environments, from space to high-precision industries.

How can the latest technology, such as solar cells, be improved? An international research team led by the University of Göttingen is helping to find answers to questions like this with a new technique. For the first time, the formation of tiny, difficult-to-detect particles – known as dark excitons – can be tracked precisely in time and space. These invisible carriers of energy will play a key role in future solar cells, LEDs and detectors. The results were published in Nature Photonics.