'Hybrid' logic gate as work towards quantum computer continues

18-Dec-2015 - The Networked Quantum Information Technologies (NQIT - pronounced 'N-kit') Hub, based at Oxford but involving nearly 30 academic and industrial partners, has been focusing on developing quantum technologies that could dwarf the processing power of today's supercomputers. Professor David Lucas of ...

Ultra-short X-ray pulses could shed new light on the fastest events in physics

18-Nov-2015 - If you've ever been captivated by slow-motion footage on a wildlife documentary, or you've shuddered when similar technology is used to replay highlights from a boxing match, you'll know how impressive advancements in ultra-fast science can be. Researchers from the Department of Physics at Oxford ...

How can engineers make steel that doesn't baulk at hydrogen?

16-Nov-2015 - For over 100 years engineers have known that hydrogen can cause metals to become incredibly brittle, but they've been able to do little to protect against it. Now, Oxford University researchers are working on a large collaborative project to build the metals of the future, that can retain their ...

Testing the thermal tolerance of the fusion reactors of the future

05-Nov-2015 - Nuclear fusion is an attractive option for creating sustainable energy, in principle using the same reactions found at the centre of stars to generate large quantities of power without carbon emissions. But creating those conditions on Earth is difficult, and part of the problem is finding the ...

The unbearable lightness of helium may not be such a problem after all

21-Aug-2015 - Helium gas may not be on the verge of running out after all. Previous studies had raised concerns that we were getting close to a world shortage of helium, but a new study shows that in many areas of North America, there is the potential for undiscovered quantities of helium to be associated with ...

For faster, larger graphene add a liquid layer

16-Jul-2015 - Millimetre-sized crystals of high-quality graphene can be made in minutes instead of hours using a new scalable technique, Oxford University researchers have demonstrated. In just 15 minutes the method can produce large graphene crystals around 2-3 millimetres in size that it would take up to 19 ...

Predator-prey made simple

New method simplifies studies of predator-prey interactions and other 'bistable' systems

08-May-2014 - A team of U.K. researchers has developed a way to dramatically reduce the complexity of modeling "bistable" systems which involve the interaction of two evolving species where one changes faster than the other ("slow-fast systems"). Described in The Journal of Chemical Physics, the work paves the ...

Reducing the cost of perovskite solar cells

24-Apr-2013 - A new way of making semiconducting perovskite-based solar cells could result in photovoltaic devices that are 70% cheaper than current commercial models, say UK scientists. Although dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) have been leading the charge in cheap-to-process cell designs, semiconducting ...

3-D printer can build synthetic tissues

08-Apr-2013 - A custom-built programmable 3D printer can create materials with several of the properties of living tissues, Oxford University scientists have demonstrated. The new type of material consists of thousands of connected water droplets, encapsulated within lipid films, which can perform some of the ...

Innovations in soil science will grow the solutions to global food security

24-Jan-2013 - A report published by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) says that innovative research in soil science will be fundamental in overcoming the growing threat of global food and fuel crop shortages as the world’s population continues to increase. Food security is one of the great global challenges ...