Through a combination of atomic-scale materials design and ultrafast measurements, researchers at the University of Illinois have revealed new insights about how heat flows across an interface between two materials. The researchers demonstrated that a single layer of atoms can disrupt or enhance heat flow across an interface. The researchers first deposited a single layer of … [Read more...]
Researchers Use Cold Atoms to Simulate Graphene
Scientists at ETH Zurich used a set of laser beams to create a honeycomb-like structure similar to that found in graphene. By loading ultracold atoms into this optical lattice, they can simulate electronic properties of this promising material. Such experiments may be used to identify electronic properties of materials which have yet to be discovered. Tilman Esslinger, … [Read more...]
College Physics Department Researching Quantum Nature of Atoms
A group led by Seth Aubin, assistant professor of physics at William & Mary, is putting finishing touches on an apparatus that will chill atoms to near absolute zero. At these low temperatures, the quantum nature of atoms takes over and they begin to follow a different set of physical laws. Atoms normally move about according to classical Newtonian physics; however, under … [Read more...]
