Photothermal catalysis using pulsed light

TOC

Catalysts are the workhorses of industrial chemistry, accounting for 85% of chemical products, such as artificial fertilizer and precursors for plastics. Temperature is a key control parameter in any catalytic reaction and reactors are typically heated using fossil-fuel derived heat. It would be more energy efficient and sustainable to only apply heat where the chemistry … Read more

Using AI-algorithms for optimizing the optical response of plasmonic nanophotonics

Photonic Optimization

Plasmonic nano-antennas can confine and manipulate light at the nanoscale, which can be applied in a wide variety of applications such as molecular sensing, biomedical imaging, and light-driven catalysis. The use of simulation software can help to model the nanostructures before we fabricate them, but it can be time-consuming and complex to find the optimal … Read more

Physics of Frost Heaving

Frost heaves

When a soil is subject to low temperatures, the freezing of water can lead to an upward forces and the deformation of the soil with the growth of ice. This phenomena, called frost heaving can lead to catastrophic destruction of roads or buildings in cold regions as shown in figure above. The most obvious explanation … Read more

Detector Research and Development for LHC experiments and beyond

run295585_alice_ioncollision

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva seeks to answer fundamental questions about elementary particles and our universe. Protons or heavy ions are collided at nearly the speed of light to study the tiniest building blocks of nature. To increase the amount of data taken by the LHC experiments in the future, many … Read more

A trapped-ion quantum sensor for the search for new physics

QMetrology

The Standard Model of physics is still far from complete: there is an unexplained asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the universe, gravity is not included and dark matter and dark energy are not understood. Quantum sensors have become strong tools to search for effects stemming from physics beyond the Standard Model. I am searching for 1-2 … Read more

Diamond is forever?

Asperity_wear

At the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) we carry out exciting fundamental physics research at the highest possible level with relevance to key technologies in nanolithography. We contribute to the production of ever smarter and smaller electronics, while at the same time pushing the boundaries of our fundamental insight into the workings of nature. … Read more

3D Printing on Earth and in Space

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3D printing has proven to be a game-changer in space exploration and has revolutionized the way astronauts and space agencies approach problems in space. With 3D printing, it is possible to produce complex components and parts on demand, reducing the need for large inventories and saving space and weight on spacecraft. It also enables the … Read more

 3D-PRINTED ACTIVE MATTER

Screenshot 2023-04-07 at 10.50.42

Active Matter refers to a class of physical systems made up of self-propelled, interacting entities, such as living organisms or synthetic particles, that exhibit collective behavior and can produce forces and fluxes at the macroscopic scale. Active matter systems can generate directed motion, spontaneous pattern formation, and display emergent properties that are not present in … Read more