Last update:

Why petting your cat leads to static electricity

Anyone who has ever pet a cat or shuffled their feet across the carpet knows that rubbing objects together generates static electricity. But an explanation for this phenomenon has eluded researchers for more than two millennia.

Metasurfaces: Tiny tech with big potential

Imagine manipulating light with ultra-thin, flat sheets instead of bulky lenses and mirrors. That's the promise of metasurfaces, a nanostructure technology that can twist and bend light in ways never before possible.

More news

Nanophysics
Spin-controlled generation of a complete polarization set with randomly interleaved plasmonic metasurfaces
Nanophysics
Advances in optical micronanofiber-enabled tactile sensors and soft actuators
Nanophysics
Illuminating the unavoidable imperfections of nanostructures
Nanophysics
Manipulation of nanolight provides new insight for quantum computing and thermal management
Nanophysics
New varactor enhances quantum dot device measurements at millikelvin temperatures
Nanophysics
Researchers demonstrate metasurfaces that control thermal radiation in unprecedented ways
Nanophysics
Advancing nanoscale imaging capabilities with dynamic nuclear polarization
Nanophysics
World's first micromachine twists 2D materials at will
Nanophysics
A world first: Qubit coherence decay traced to thermal dissipation
Nanophysics
Low-cost flexible metasurfaces to increase the efficiency of optoelectronic devices
Nanophysics
Unveiling the power of hot carriers in plasmonic nanostructures
Nanophysics
Team develops method for control over single-molecule photoswitching
Nanophysics
Quantum pumping in molecular junctions: Theoretical model could lead to switches and amplifiers
Nanophysics
Photolithography research shows computer chips have the potential to become even smaller
Nanophysics
Carbon nanotubes study finds local solvation is decisive for fluorescence of biosensors
Nanophysics
Novel X-ray imaging technique resolves fusion-related nanofoams in 3D
Nanophysics
Precise stirring conditions key to optimizing nanostructure synthesis
Nanophysics
New X-ray world record: Looking inside a microchip with 4 nanometer precision
Nanophysics
Researchers reveal atomic-scale details of catalysts' active sites
Nanophysics
Understanding the forces that regulate crystallization by particle attachment

Other news

Earth Sciences
Climate change will lead to wetter US winters, modeling study finds
Cell & Microbiology
Shedding light on a decades-old protein sorting mystery
Environment
Study offers new explanation for Siberia's permafrost craters
Plants & Animals
Presence of bacteria in soil makes flowers more attractive to pollinators, study shows
Astronomy
Turbulent solar wind originates in the sun's corona, study shows
Analytical Chemistry
New research could extend the lifetime of key carbon-capture materials
Analytical Chemistry
Simultaneous detection of uranium isotopes and fluorine advances nuclear nonproliferation monitoring
Earth Sciences
The unexpected role of magnetic microbes in deep-sea mining
Astronomy
Hubble finds that a black hole beam promotes stellar eruptions
Cell & Microbiology
A new AI model can predict substrate movement into and out of cells
Bio & Medicine
Scientists develop method to control timing of synthetic DNA droplet division
Social Sciences
Team debunks research showing Facebook's news-feed algorithm curbs election misinformation
General Physics
Security protocol leverages quantum mechanics to shield data from attackers during cloud-based computation
Ecology
Dead coral skeletons hinder reef regeneration by sheltering seaweed
Plants & Animals
Scientists uncover a critical component that helps killifish regenerate their fins
Archaeology
Unexpected discovery of early sweet potato cultivation in Polynesia
Planetary Sciences
NEID Earth Twin Survey discovers its first alien world
Plants & Animals
Genetic rescue for rare red foxes? Research uncovers options to restore Lassen red fox population
Earth Sciences
Four billion years ago, but not so different: Plate tectonics likely looked closer to what we experience today
Planetary Sciences
Existence of an Earth-like planet around a dead sun offers hope for our planet's ultimate survival

Researchers identify unique phenomenon in Kagome metal

In traditional Japanese basket-weaving, the ancient "Kagome" design seen in many handcrafted creations is characterized by a symmetrical pattern of interlaced triangles with shared corners. In quantum physics, the Kagome ...