06-06-2013

The development of structured synthetic materials with unusual electromagnetic properties, so-called metamaterials, promises to provide access to special physical effects of great technological interest. Metamaterials have already been fabricated that have a negative refractive index for ...

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An international team of researchers succeeds in generating flashes of extreme ultraviolet radiation via the reflection from a mirror that moves close to the speed of light

26-04-2013

A dense sheet of electrons accelerated to close to the speed of light can act as a tuneable mirror that can generate bursts of laser-like radiation in the short wavelength range via reflection. A team of physicists from the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Garching, the ...

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24-08-2012

An international team has now measured the nuclear masses of two unstable superheavy elements for the first time. The results will help to predict the stability of even heavier elements. Researchers from eleven institutions have made the first precise measurements of nuclear shell effects in ...

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30-07-2012

A collaboration of physicists from MPQ, LMU, Harvard and Caltech detect Higgs-type excitations in a low-dimensional system of ultracold atoms at the transition between different phases of matter. The sudden breaking of symmetry plays a fundamental role in physics, in particular for the ...

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09-07-2012

Fluorine is the most reactive chemical element. That is why it is not found in nature in its elemental form, but only in compounds, such as fluorite – that was the accepted scientific doctrine so far. A special fluorite, the “fetid fluorite” or “antozonite”, has been the subject of many ...

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26-06-2012

Graphene, an ordered monolayer of carbon, is the thinnest substance known, and yet has extraordinary mechanical strength. A new study shows that its two-dimensional network of atoms can even trap light. Thin, thinner, graphene. Graphene, a monolayer of carbon in which the atoms are arranged ...

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Scientists Develop Alternative Catalyst for Polyethylene Production

19-06-2012

Precious metals are expensive and in demand, not just for jewellery or as a financial investment, but also in industry. Here, valuable metals are used, among other things, as catalysts in chemical reactions. For example, palladium is crucial in a decisive step in the production of ...

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18-06-2012

The continuing trend toward miniaturization in electronics demands the use of new materials. Components made of carbon nanotubes may meet this need – and the properties of single nanotube devices can now be characterized with the required resolution. Given the demand for further ...

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Gamma-rays for in-depth probes

16-05-2012

They can be bent after all: In defiance of a decades-old assumption, gamma-rays can be focused with lenses. The discovery opens up a range of potential applications – from monitoring of nuclear waste to new cancer therapies. Gamma-rays are extremely powerful electromagnetic waves that are far ...

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12-04-2012

From smartphones to e-bikes, the number of mobile electronic devices is steadily growing around the world. As a result, there is an increased need for batteries that are small and light, yet powerful. As the potential for the further improvement of lithium-ion batteries is nearly exhausted, ...

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