Physicists use oscillations of atoms to control a phase transition

The goal of 'femtochemistry' is to film and control chemical reactions with short flashes of light. Using consecutive laser pulses, atomic bonds can be excited precisely and broken as desired. So far, this has been demonstrated ...

Tuning the surface gives variations to metal foils

Just as cloning in biology allows for the creation of one or more replicas of the exact same genes, seeded growth in chemistry can produce a very large metal foil with the exact same surface texture as that of a seeded one. ...

Study reveals unique physical, chemical properties of cicada wings

Biological structures sometimes have unique features that engineers would like to copy. For example, many types of insect wings shed water, kill microbes, reflect light in unusual ways and are self-cleaning. While researchers ...

Technique reveals how crystals form on surfaces

The process of crystallization, in which atoms or molecules line up in orderly arrays like soldiers in formation, is the basis for many of the materials that define modern life, including the silicon in microchips and solar ...

A fast, ecofriendly way of de-icing aircrafts

Ice on an aircraft's surfaces can be a hazard. It increases drag and fuel consumption, disrupts aerodynamic flows, and decreases lift—which impairs the aircraft's ability to fly safely. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute ...

A year of surprising science from NASA's InSight Mars mission

A new understanding of Mars is beginning to emerge, thanks to the first year of NASA's InSight lander mission. Findings described in a set of six papers published today reveal a planet alive with quakes, dust devils and strange ...

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