Which research and innovation approaches can help the EU achieve a sustainable supply of critical raw materials

Three sets of measures for greater independence on the raw materials market

23-Jul-2024 - Raw materials are crucial resources when it comes to prosperity and quality of life in the European Union. However, various raw materials are categorized as critical due to the uncertain supply situation. Through research and innovation, the European Union can improve its supply of critical raw ...

Historical breakthrough for clean energy of the future

Lasers have ignited fusion: Virtually inexhaustible source of energy

14-Dec-2022 - Lasers have ignited a mini star on earth, laying the foundation for a clean energy source of the future: A historical breakthrough in inertial confinement fusion research at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab and a defining moment for Photonics! One of the most ...

One more clue to the Moon’s origin

Researchers from ETH Zurich discover the first definitive proof that the Moon inherited indigenous noble gases from the Earth’s mantle

18-Aug-2022 - The discovery represents a significant piece of the puzzle towards understanding how the Moon and, potentially, the Earth and other celestial bodies were formed. Humankind has maintained an enduring fascination with the Moon. It was not until Galileo’s time, however, that scientists really began ...

Microdrones With Light-driven Nanomotors

Completely new options for the usually extremely difficult handling of nano- and micro-objects

25-Apr-2022 - Propelling micrometre-sized drones using light only and exerting precise control: Physicists at the University of Würzburg have succeeded at this for the first time. Their microdrones are significantly smaller than red blood cells. A hand-held laser pointer produces no noticeable recoil forces ...

Helium bath splash

A surprising phenomenon

04-Jan-2022 - While working with helium nanodroplets, scientists at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, have come across a surprising phenomenon: When the ultracold droplets hit a hard surface, they behave like drops of water. Ions with which they were previously doped thus remain protected on impact and are ...

Researchers observe ultrafast processes of single molecules in liquid helium for the first time

How a molecule moves in the protective environment of a quantum fluid

24-Mar-2020 - Markus Koch, head of the research group Femtosecond Dynamics at the Institute of Experimental Physics at TU Graz, and his team develop new methods for time-resolved femtosecond laser spectroscopy to investigate ultrafast processes in molecular systems. In 2018 the group demonstrated for the first ...

Nanobubbles in nanodroplets

Researchers investigate ultrafast reaction of superfluid helium triggerd by extreme ultraviolet laser pulses

10-Jan-2020 - A team headed by Professor Frank Stienkemeier at Freiburg’s Institute of Physics and Dr. Marcel Mudrich, professor at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, has observed the ultrafast reaction of nanodroplets of helium after excitation with extreme ultraviolet radiation (XUV) using a free-electron ...

New primary method for the measurement of pressure based on electrical measurements carried out on helium gas

04-Dec-2019 - Scientists from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) have implemented a novel pressure measurement method, quasi as a byproduct of the work on the "new" kelvin. In addition to being new, this procedure is a primary method, i.e. it only depends on natural constants. As an independent ...

Novel process developed to recover high value products from natural gas

11-Sep-2019 - Linde developed a novel process to recover high value products from natural gas successfully combining technologies of BASF and Linde. The process simultaneously recovers valuable helium, liquid hydrocarbons, and purified CO2 in addition to conditioning natural gas for pipeline transportation ...

First astrophysical detection of the helium hydride ion

23-Apr-2019 - HeH+ was the first molecule that formed when, almost 14 billion years ago, falling temperatures in the young Universe allowed recombination of the light elements produced in the Big Bang. At that time, ionized hydrogen and neutral helium atoms reacted to form HeH+. Despite its importance in the ...