| Energy is information. Lengthening the time during which a system is capable of retaining energy before losing it to the local environment is a key goal for the development of quantum information. This interval is called the “coherence time”. Several studies have been performed with the aim of retarding decoherence. | |
| A study conducted by researchers at the University of Campinas’s Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics (IFGW-UNICAMP) in São Paulo State, Brazil, in partnership with colleagues at the University of Michigan’s Physics Department in Ann Arbor, USA, and Sungkyunkwan University’s Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT SKKU) in Seoul, South Korea, set out to understand the decoherence process on the femtosecond (10-15 s) timescale. | |
| An article describing the results was published in Physical Review Letters (“Non-Markovian Exciton-Phonon Interactions in Core-Shell Colloidal Quantum Dots at Femtosecond Timescales”). |
| In the study, interactions between excitons (excited electrons) and phonons (quantum units of vibrational energy in a crystal lattice) were observed on the femtosecond timescale. A femtosecond is one quadrillionth of a second. | |
| The use of a revolutionary ultrafast spectroscopy technique with high temporal and spectral resolution was fundamental to the success of the study, which was supported by FAPESP via a Young Investigator Grant awarded to Lázaro Aurélio Padilha Junior and a project conducted in partnership with the University of Michigan under the aegis of the São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP program São Paulo Researchers in International Collaboration (SPRINT). | |
| Padilha was one of the principal investigators for the project, and Diogo Burigo Almeida, then a postdoctoral fellow at Michigan, was one of the main authors. The experiment was performed with semiconducting nanocrystals dispersed in a colloidal solution at cryogenic temperatures. | |
| “We found that when the material is excited [by light], the light it emits changes color in under 200 femtoseconds. This is due to interaction between excitons and phonons. The excitons transfer part of the energy they receive to the crystal lattice. This causes a change of frequency and hence a change of emission color,” Padilha told. |
Image Credit: Image courtesy of the researchers
News This Week
New study reveals molecular basis of Long COVID brain fog
Even though many years have passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of infection with SARS-CoV-2 are not completely understood. This is especially true for Long COVID, a chronic condition that [...]
Scientists make huge Parkinson’s breakthrough as they discover ‘protein trigger’
Scientists have, for the first time, directly visualised the protein clusters in the brain believed to trigger Parkinson's disease, bringing them one step closer to potential treatments. Parkinson's is a progressive incurable neurological disorder [...]
Alpha amino acids’ stability may explain their role as early life’s protein building blocks
A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sheds light on one of life's greatest mysteries: why biology is based on a very specific set [...]
3D bioprinting advances enable creation of artificial blood vessels with layered structures
To explore possible treatments for various diseases, either animal models or human cell cultures are usually used first; however, animal models do not always mimic human diseases well, and cultures are far removed [...]
Drinking less water daily spikes your stress hormone
Researchers discovered that people who don’t drink enough water react with sharper cortisol spikes during stressful events, explaining why poor hydration is tied to long-term health risks. A recent study in the Journal of Applied [...]
Nanomed Trials Surge Highlighting Need for Standardization
Researchers have identified over 4,000 nanomedical clinical trials in progress now, highlighting rapid growth in the field and the need for a standardized lexicon to support clinical translation and collaboration. Nanotechnology is the science of [...]
Review: How Could Microalgal Nanoparticles Treat Cancer?
A new approach for cancer treatment involves the use of microalgal-derived nanoparticles. A recent review in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology examines their potential as a sustainable and biocompatible solution. Promise and Limitations Nanoparticles (NPs), defined as [...]
COVID-19 models suggest universal vaccination may avert over 100,000 hospitalizations
US Scenario Modeling Hub, a collaborative modeling effort of 17 academic research institutions, reports a universal COVID-19 vaccination recommendation could avert thousands more US hospitalizations and deaths than a high-risk-only strategy. COVID-19 remains a [...]
Climate change fuels spread of neurological virus in Europe
Growing numbers of West Nile virus infection cases, fueled by climate change, are sparking fears among citizens and healthcare providers in Europe. A Clinical Insight in the European Journal of Internal Medicine, published by Elsevier, [...]
Pioneering the next-generation nanoparticle drug delivery system
Researchers report a materials breakthrough enabling a new wave of nanodrug applications, from delivery to diagnostics and gene editing, with global impact. (Nanowerk News) An Australian research team has achieved an advanced materials breakthrough [...]
New Eye Drops Sharpen Aging Eyes in Just One Hour
Imagine tossing aside your reading glasses and regaining crisp, youthful vision with just a few drops a day. New research suggests that specially formulated eye drops can significantly improve near vision in people with [...]
Scientists Use Electricity To “Reprogram” the Immune System for Faster Healing
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered that electrically stimulating 'macrophages' – one of the immune system's key players – can 'reprogramme' them in such a way to reduce inflammation and encourage faster, more [...]
Long Covid sufferers left to fend for themselves
When Alex Sprackland caught Covid-19 in March 2020, he thought he’d be back to normal in no time. Yet, five years on, the 34-year-old still grapples with the severe, life-limiting effects of the infection. [...]
New Research Reveals Nanoplastics’ Damaging Effect on Brain Cells
Researchers at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) have found that nanoplastics, which are even smaller than microplastics, impair energy metabolism in brain cells. The results were reported in the Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics. In addition to [...]
New research – eyedrops to lower lifetime risk of nearsightedness complications
For the first time, researchers are leading a national study to see if the onset of nearsightedness can be delayed – and consequently reduced in magnitude over a lifetime – with the use of [...]
Study Shows Brain Signals Only Matter if They Arrive on Time
Signals are processed only if they reach the brain during brief receptive cycles. This timing mechanism explains how attention filters information and may inform therapies and brain-inspired technologies. It has long been recognized that [...]
