Tides on Earth have a far-reaching influence, including disturbing satellites’ measurements by affecting their motion. This disturbance can be studied using a model for the gravitational potential of the Earth, taking into account the fact that Earth’s shape is not spherical. The LAser RElativity Satellite (LARES), is the best ever relevant test particle to move…
Astronauts to Bring Asteroid Back into Lunar Orbit
Future space exploration aims to fly further from Earth than ever before. Now, Italian Space Agency scientists have expressed an interest in contributing to the development of robotic technologies to bring an asteroid from beyond lunar orbit back into closer reach in order to better study it. In a paper published in EPJ Plus, Marco…
Autonomous Machines Edge Towards Greater Independence
Cars that can drive autonomously have recently made headlines. In the near future, machines that can learn autonomously will become increasingly present in our lives. The secret to efficient learning for these machines is to define an iterative process to map out the evolution of how key aspects of these systems change over time. In…
Could Wearable Biosensors Become Part of Drug Rehab Programs?
There is merit in looking at the use of wearable biosensors to detect whether opioid users stay focused on their rehabilitation programs. This follows a preliminary study in Springer’s Journal of Medical Toxicology led by Stephanie Carreiro of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the US. Her team tested the use of wristband sensors worn by…
Underwater Archaeology Looks at Atomic Relic of the Cold War
The April issue of Springer’s Journal of Maritime Archaeology (JMA) focuses on a single shipwreck as the lens through which maritime archaeology assesses the advent of the Atomic Age and the Cold War. The wreck is the World War II veteran aircraft carrier USS Independence, which was one of nearly a hundred ships used as…
Timeless Thoughts on the Definition of Time
The earliest definitions of time and time-interval quantities were based on observed astronomical phenomena, such as apparent solar or lunar time, and as such, time as measured by clocks, and frequency, as measured by devices were derived quantities. In contrast, time is now based on the properties of atoms, making time and time intervals themselves…
Taking Advantage of Graphene Defects in Security Screening
Electronic transport in graphene contributes to its characteristics. Now, a Russian scientist proposes a new theoretical approach to describe graphene with defects — in the form of artificial triangular holes — resulting in the rectification of the electric current within the material. Specifically, the study provides an analytical and numerical theory of the so-called ratchet…
Nano-Pea Pod Model Widens Electronics Applications
Periodic chain-like nanostructures are widely used in nanoelectronics. Typically, chain elements include the likes of quantum rings, quantum dots, or quantum graphs. Such a structure enables electrons to move along the chain, in theory, indefinitely. The trouble is that some applications require localised electrons—these are no longer in a continuous energy spectrum but in a…
Inter-Dependent Networks Stress Test
A new study relies on a complex systems modeling approach to analyze inter-dependent networks and improve their reliability in the event of failure Energy production systems are good examples of complex systems. Their infrastructure equipment requires ancillary sub-systems structured like a network—including water for cooling, transport to supply fuel, and ICT systems for control and…
Unleashing the Power of Quantum Dot Triplets
Another step towards faster computers relies on three coherently coupled quantum dots used as quantum information units Quantum computers have yet to materialize. Yet, scientists are making progress in devising suitable means of making such computers faster. One such approach relies on quantum dots—a kind of artificial atom, easily controlled by applying an electric field.…
Spotting the Invisible Cracks in Wind Turbines
Physicists have now developed a new method for analysing the elastic characteristics of mechanical structures subjected to disturbances, akin to the turbulences affecting wind turbines. These results are about to be published in EPJ B by Philip Rinn and his colleagues at the ForWind Center for Wind Energy Research at the University of Oldenburg, Germany.…