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Category: materials – Page 3

Scientists get a first look at the innermost region of a white dwarf system

Some 200 light years from Earth, the core of a dead star is circling a larger star in a macabre cosmic dance. The dead star is a type of white dwarf that exerts a powerful magnetic field as it pulls material from the larger star into a swirling, accreting disk. The spiraling pair is what’s known as an “intermediate polar” — a type of star system that gives off a complex pattern of intense radiation, including X-rays, as gas from the larger star falls onto the other one.

Now, MIT astronomers have used an X-ray telescope in space to identify key features in the system’s innermost region — an extremely energetic environment that has been inaccessible to most telescopes until now. In an open-access study published in the Astrophysical Journal, the team reports using NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) to observe the intermediate polar, known as EX Hydrae.

The team found a surprisingly high degree of X-ray polarization, which describes the direction of an X-ray wave’s electric field, as well as an unexpected direction of polarization in the X-rays coming from EX Hydrae. From these measurements, the researchers traced the X-rays back to their source in the system’s innermost region, close to the surface of the white dwarf.

Mirror symmetry prompts ultralow magnetic damping in 2D van der Waals ferromagnets

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnets are thin and magnetic materials in which molecules or layers are held together by weak attractive forces known as vdW forces. These materials have proved to be promising for the development of spintronic devices, systems that operate leveraging the spin (i.e., intrinsic angular momentum) of electrons, as opposed to electric charge.

A crucial parameter in the context of magnetization is the so-called Gilbert damping coefficient, which indicates how quickly a material’s magnetization loses energy and returns to a state of equilibrium after being disturbed. A lower damping coefficient is more favorable for the development of spintronics, as it means that less energy is lost once a material’s magnetization is set into motion.

Researchers at Beijing Normal University, Shanghai University and Fudan University carried out a study aimed at better understanding the underpinnings of low Gilbert damping in 2D vdW ferromagnets.

Physicists explore optical launch of hypersound pulses in halide perovskites

A German-French team of physicists from TU Dortmund University, University of Würzburg, and Le Mans Université has succeeded in launching shear hypersound pulses with exceptionally large amplitudes in metal halide perovskites using pulsed optical excitation.

This discovery is published in the journal Science Advances.

Whereas the material has been of high interest for photovoltaics so far, the new results turn it into a candidate to be used for optically driven devices capable of generating and detecting sound waves at sub-terahertz frequencies, with potential applications across electronic, photonic, magnetic, and biomedical devices.

Wild new “gyromorph” materials could make computers insanely fast

Gyromorphs merge order and disorder to deliver unprecedented light-blocking power for next-generation photonic computers. Researchers engineered “gyromorphs,” a new type of metamaterial that combines liquid-like randomness with large-scale structural patterns to block light from every direction. This innovation solves longstanding limitations in quasicrystal-based designs and could accelerate advances in photonic computing.

Researchers are exploring a new generation of computers that operate using light, or photons, instead of electrical currents. Systems that rely on light to store and process information could one day run far more efficiently and complete calculations much faster than conventional machines.

Light-driven computing is still at an early stage, and one of the main technical obstacles involves controlling tiny streams of light traveling through a chip. Rerouting these microscopic signals without weakening them requires carefully engineered materials. To keep signals strong, the hardware must include a lightweight substance that prevents stray light from entering from any direction. This type of material is known as an “isotropic bandgap material.”

Nature-inspired hydrogel offers power-free thermal management

The poplar (Populus alba) has a unique survival strategy: when exposed to hot and dry conditions, it curls its leaves to expose the ventral surface, reflecting sunlight, and at night, the moisture condensed on the leaf surface releases latent heat to prevent frost damage. Plants have evolved such intricate mechanisms in response to dynamic environmental fluctuations in diurnal and seasonal temperature cycles, light intensity, and humidity, but there have been few instances of realizing such a sophisticated thermal management system with artificial materials.

Now, a KAIST research team has developed an artificial material that mimics the thermal management strategy of the poplar leaf, significantly increasing the applicability of power-free, self-regulating thermal management technology in applications such as building facades, roofs, and temporary shelters. The paper is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

The research team led by Professor Young Min Song of the School of Electrical Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Dae-Hyeong Kim’s team at Seoul National University, has developed a flexible hydrogel-based “Latent-Radiative Thermostat (LRT)” that mimics the natural heat regulation strategy of the poplar leaf.

[Announcement] Congratulations to the 2025 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Advanced Technology (Information Science), Shun’ichi Amari

At the award ceremony held on Monday, November 10, 2025, at the Kyoto International Conference Center, Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado graced the occasion, joined by ambassadors, consuls general, and numerous distinguished guests from Japan and abroad to celebrate the laureates’ achievements. Each laureate was presented with a diploma, the Kyoto Prize medal, and a monetary award of 100 million yen. https://www.kyotoprize.org/en/laureates/shun-ichi_amari/

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Professor Shun’ichi Amari on receiving the Kyoto Prize. Below is a list of his works — 30 references published in journals including a research survey article, along with selected book chapters — published by Springer Nature over the past 50 years. These materials are available for free viewing and download until December 14, 2025.

Electrical control of spin currents in graphene via ferroelectric switching achieved

A collaborative European research team led by physicists from Slovak Academy of Sciences has theorized a new approach to control spin currents in graphene by coupling it to a ferroelectric In2Se3 monolayer. Using first-principles and tight-binding simulations, the researcher showed that the ferroelectric switching of In2Se3 can reverse the direction of the spin current in graphene acting as an electrical spin switch. This discovery offers a novel pathway toward energy-efficient, nonvolatile, and magnet-free spintronic devices, marking a key step toward the fabrication of next-generation spin-based logic and memory systems to control spin textures.

The findings are published in the journal Materials Futures.

Randomly aligned defects explain low thermal conductivity in some materials

QUT researchers have identified why some materials can block heat more effectively, which is a key feature for energy conversion, insulation and gas storage.

The research, published in Nature Communications, discovered a structural mechanism that explains why some materials with uneven composition exhibit exceptionally . This is a property vital for the conversion of heat into .

The first author, Siqi Liu, said the findings challenged conventional models that overlook the role of microstructural features.

This Magnetic Discovery Could Be the Key to Ultrafast, Low-Energy Chips

Scientists have uncovered how tiny magnetic waves can produce electric signals inside materials, potentially transforming computing efficiency.

The discovery could lead to ultrafast, low-power chips that merge magnetic and electric systems seamlessly.

Linking magnetic waves and electric signals.

Scientists just found a material that beats diamond at its own game

Boron arsenide has dethroned diamond as the best heat conductor, thanks to refined crystal purity and improved synthesis methods. This discovery could transform next-generation electronics by combining record-breaking thermal conductivity with strong semiconductor properties.

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