ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Astronomers find 50 new exoplanets: Richest haul of planets so far includes 16 new super-Earths
• Nuclear detector: New materials hold promise for better detection of nuclear weapons
• Parabolic mirrors concentrate sunlight to power lasers
• Graphene may open the gate to future terahertz technologies
• Messy better than neat: Tangled coat of nanowires increases solar cell efficiency by absorbing more light
• Astronomers find extreme weather on an alien world: Cosmic oddball may harbor a gigantic storm
• Rotating magnetic moments: Spin pumping effect demonstrated for first time
• Ferroelectrics could pave way for ultra-low power computing
• Breath and sweat used to detect trapped humans

Astronomers find 50 new exoplanets: Richest haul of planets so far includes 16 new super-Earths Posted: 12 Sep 2011 11:35 AM PDT Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's world-leading exoplanet hunter HARPS have announced a rich haul of more than 50 new exoplanets, including 16 super-Earths, one of which orbits at the edge of the habitable zone of its star. By studying the properties of all the HARPS planets found so far, the team has found that about 40% of stars similar to the Sun have at least one planet lighter than Saturn.

Nuclear detector: New materials hold promise for better detection of nuclear weapons Posted: 12 Sep 2011 11:34 AM PDT Scientists have developed new materials that can detect hard radiation, a very difficult thing to do. The method could lead to a handheld device for detecting nuclear weapons and materials, such as a "nuclear bomb in a suitcase" scenario. The materials perform as well as materials that have emerged from five decades of research and development.

Parabolic mirrors concentrate sunlight to power lasers Posted: 12 Sep 2011 11:34 AM PDT Borrowing from modern telescope design, researchers have proposed a way to concentrate sunlight to ramp up laser efficiency.

Graphene may open the gate to future terahertz technologies Posted: 12 Sep 2011 11:34 AM PDT Nestled between radio waves and infrared light is the terahertz (THz) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. By adding a nanoscale bit of graphene, researchers have found a better way to tune radiation for a THz transmitter.

Messy better than neat: Tangled coat of nanowires increases solar cell efficiency by absorbing more light Posted: 12 Sep 2011 11:34 AM PDT Sometimes neatness may not be necessary. Researchers have demonstrated that a tangled coating of randomly positioned nanowires can increase solar cell efficiency by absorbing more light.

Astronomers find extreme weather on an alien world: Cosmic oddball may harbor a gigantic storm Posted: 12 Sep 2011 11:33 AM PDT A University of Toronto-led team of astronomers has observed extreme brightness changes on a nearby brown dwarf that may indicate a storm grander than any seen yet on a planet. Because old brown dwarfs and giant planets have similar atmospheres, this finding could shed new light on weather phenomena of extra-solar planets.

Rotating magnetic moments: Spin pumping effect demonstrated for first time Posted: 12 Sep 2011 07:21 AM PDT Physicists have demonstrated the spin pumping effect in magnetic layers for the first time experimentally. The behavior of the spin pumping had previously only been predicted theoretically. Scientists have now succeeded in measuring the effect using ultrafast X-ray scattering with picosecond resolution. Through their rotation of the magnetic moments, the so-called magnetic precession, single electrons can mutually influence each other's rotation (spin) through a non-magnetic intermediate layer.

Ferroelectrics could pave way for ultra-low power computing Posted: 12 Sep 2011 07:21 AM PDT Engineers have shown that it is possible to reduce the minimum voltage necessary to store charge in a capacitor, an achievement that could reduce the power draw and heat generation of today's electronics. They used ferroelectric materials to amplify the charge accumulated at the capacitor for a given voltage, a phenomenon called negative capacitance.

Breath and sweat used to detect trapped humans Posted: 12 Sep 2011 04:57 AM PDT Molecules in their breath, sweat and skin have been used to detect humans in a simulation of a collapsed building, raising the prospect of portable sensors for use in real-life situations, such as the devastating aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and more recent disasters in New Zealand and Japan.

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