Bose Tries to Shake Up Auto Industry

by Mark Jewell USATODAY.com, 27 Nov 2005 In a cleared-out parking lot at Bose's headquarters, a test driver guides a Lexus at 25 mph toward what would appear to be an unfriendly introduction to a two-by-six lying on its side, ankle-high. A childlike grin spreads across 76-year-old Amar Bose's face as the vehicle does something most can't: jump over the board, like a cat bounding over a fallen log. The sedan's experimental, Bose-designed suspension, driven by four electromagnetic motors, had quickly pulled each wheel up, then down. Read more

Breakthrough for Quantum Measurement

by Belle Dumé PhysicsWeb News, 22 Nov 2005 Two teams of physicists have measured the capacitance of a Josephson junction for the first time. The methods developed by the two teams could be used to measure the state of quantum bits in a quantum computer without disturbing the state. Read more

Computing Stationary Free-Surface Shapes in Microfluidics

by M. Schindler, P. Talkner, & P. Hanggi arXiv.org E-print Archive, 25 Nov 2005 We propose a Finite-Element algorithm to compute free capillary surface shapes that are significantly deformed. The algorithm is thoroughly explained by physical as well as mathematical arguments. We show that it is robust in the sense that it yields the correct surface shape starting with quite different ones, without the need for re-meshing at the boundary. The errors of the computed shape's curvature are shown to be extremely small, at least an order of magnitude less than one percent in two accuracy tests. Our variational approach, formulated in arbitrary curved coordinates allows to substantiate the numerical observation that only a second-order approximation suffices for the free surface discretisation. Finally, we present a comparison of our numerical results with an experimentally observed droplet. Read more

Terahertz Paintmeter for Noncontact Monitoring of Thickness and Drying Progress in Paint Film

by Takeshi Yasui et al. Applied Optics, 25 Nov 2005 We propose a paintmeter for noncontact and remote monitoring of the thickness and drying progress of a paint film based on the time-of-flight measurement of the echo signal of a terahertz (THz) electromagnetic pulse. The proposed method is effectively applied to two-dimensional mapping of the painting thickness distribution for single-layer and multilayer paint films. Furthermore, adequate parameters for the drying progress are extracted from the THz pulse-echo signal and effectively applied to monitor the wet-to-dry transformation. The THz paintmeter can be a powerful tool for quality control of the paint film on the in-process monitoring of car body painting. Read more

Forget Spark Plugs, Start Your Car with Nanotubes

by Celeste Biever New Scientist, 19 Nov 2005 The accidental discovery that carbon nanotubes can be set alight with nothing more than a bright light could lead to a more efficient way of igniting car and rocket fuel. Read more

Holographic-Memory Discs May Put DVDs to Shame

by Will Knight NewScientist.com, 24 Nov 2005 A computer disc about the size of a DVD that can hold 60 times more data is set to go on sale in 2006. The disc stores information through the interference of light -- a technique known as holographic memory. Read more

Driver Not Included

by Gregory T. Huang New Scientist, 19 Nov 2005 Every day for two months, Sebastian Thrun drove Stanley, his customised Volkswagen SUV, through the Sonoran desert, Arizona, burning down dusty roads and avoiding boulders and potholes. With every twist and turn, Stanley's on-board computers watched and learned. Then one day Thrun did something most people would find rather scary. He turned over control of the car to the computers. Read more

Experimental Implementation of Heat-Bath Algorithmic Cooling Using Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

by J. Baugh et al. Nature, 24 Nov 2005 The counter-intuitive properties of quantum mechanics have the potential to revolutionize information processing by enabling the development of efficient algorithms with no known classical counterparts. Harnessing this power requires the development of a set of building blocks, one of which is a method to initialize the set of quantum bits (qubits) to a known state. Additionally, fresh ancillary qubits must be available during the course of computation to achieve fault tolerance. In any physical system used to implement quantum computation, one must therefore be able to selectively and dynamically remove entropy from the part of the system that is to be mapped to qubits. One such method is an 'open-system' cooling protocol in which a subset of qubits can be brought into contact with an external system of large heat capacity. Theoretical efforts have led to an implementation-independent cooling procedure, namely heat-bath algorithmic cooling. These efforts have culminated with the proposal of an optimal algorithm, the partner-pairing algorithm, which was used to compute the physical limits of heat-bath algorithmic cooling. Here we report the experimental realization of multi-step cooling of a quantum system via heat-bath algorithmic cooling. The experiment was carried out using nuclear magnetic resonance of a solid-state ensemble three-qubit system. We demonstrate the repeated repolarization of a particular qubit to an effective spin-bath temperature, and alternating logical operations within the three-qubit subspace to ultimately cool a second qubit below this temperature. Demonstration of the control necessary for these operations represents an important step forward in the manipulation of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance qubits. Read more

Researchers Turn Up the Heat in Superconductivity Hunt

by Robert F. Service Science, 25 Nov 2005 Physicists still can't explain why some ceramic materials lose electrical resistance at relatively balmy temperatures, but they think they're on the right track. Read more

Super-Compressible Foamlike Carbon Nanotube Films

by Anyuan Cao et al. Science, 25 Nov 2005 We report that freestanding films of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes exhibit super-compressible foamlike behavior. Under compression, the nanotubes collectively form zigzag buckles that can fully unfold to their original length upon load release. Compared with conventional low-density flexible foams, the nanotube films show much higher compressive strength, recovery rate, and sag factor, and the open-cell nature of the nanotube arrays gives excellent breathability. The nanotube films present a class of open-cell foam structures, consisting of well-arranged one-dimensional units (nanotube struts). The lightweight, highly resilient nanotube films may be useful as compliant and energy-absorbing coatings. Read more

Encoding Electronic Properties by Synthesis of Axial Modulation-Doped Silicon Nanowires

by Chen Yang et al. Science, 25 Nov 2005 We describe the successful synthesis of modulation-doped silicon nanowires by achieving pure axial elongation without radial overcoating during the growth process. Scanning gate microscopy shows that the key properties of the modulated structures -- including the number, size, and period of the differentially doped regions -- are defined in a controllable manner during synthesis, and moreover, that feature sizes to less than 50 nanometers are possible. Electronic devices fabricated with designed modulation-doped nanowire structures demonstrate their potential for lithography-independent address decoders and tunable, coupled quantum dots in which changes in electronic properties are encoded by synthesis rather than created by conventional lithography-based techniques. Read more

Rad-Hard Chip Houses Speed Research on Nonvolatile Memory

by John Keller Military & Aerospace Electronics, November 2005 Two of the nation’s most prominent manufacturers of radiation-hardened semiconductors are putting the finishing touches on technologies their officials believe will lead to the next generation of solid-state nonvolatile memory devices. Read more

Scanner to 'See Inside' Concrete

by Paul Rincon BBC News, 25 Oct 2005 Technology to "look inside" concrete structures could not only monitor them for corrosion, but also locate the remains of murder victims, experts say. It works using ultrasound, the same technique used in hospitals to monitor growing fetuses in the womb. Read more

IEEE Signal Processing Society Announces E-Newsletter

This month, the IEEE Signal Processing Society started publishing the IEEE SPS e-letter, providing society news, chapter news, upcoming conferences, upcoming special issues, award news, career opportunities, and related topics. Read more

Satellites and Their Role in Next-Generation Networks

The current issue of IEEE Wireless Communications magazine includes two feature topics on satellites and their role in next-generation networks. The first set of eight papers deals with key technological issues in satellite communications and networking, and includes contributions at many layers of the protocol stack. The second set of five papers addresses how satellite networks can be part of a global system, interacting and integrating with their terrestrial counterpart, and also with other devices to create a hybrid wireless network. Read more

IBM Sees Bright Light with Carbon Nanotubes

by Stefanie Olsen ZDNet News, 18 Nov 2005 IBM Research said this week that it has discovered a miniscule light source from carbon nanotubes 1,000 times brighter than previously seen with light-emitting diodes. Read more

Hacking the Hybrid Vehicle

by John Gartner Wired News, 16 Nov 2005 Engineers are developing adapter kits for hybrid vehicles that will increase their efficiency to 100 miles per gallon by powering them solely on electricity during short trips. Today's hybrid vehicles use electricity stored in batteries to assist the gasoline engine in acceleration and to completely power the vehicle while idling or at steady low speeds. Enter CalCars and EDrive, organizations developing modification kits that enable the Toyota Prius to be recharged from the grid. And a new group of automotive component suppliers, the Advanced Hybrid Vehicle Development Consortium, hopes to develop technology that enables hybrids to run without help from the gasoline engine for up to 50 miles. Read more

In Solid Localization of Finger Impacts Using Acoustic Time-Reversal Process

by Ros Kiri Ing et al. Applied Physics Letters, 4 Nov 2005 (online) Time reversal in acoustics is a very efficient solution to focus sound back to its source in a wide range of materials including reverberating media. It expresses the following properties: A wave still has the memory of its source location. The concept presented in this letter first consists in detecting the acoustic waves in solid objects generated by a slight finger knock. In a second step, the information related to the source location is extracted from a simulated time reversal experiment in the computer. Then, an action is associated with each location. Thus, the whole system transforms solid objects into interactive interfaces. Compared to the existing acoustic techniques, it presents the great advantage of being simple and easily applicable to inhomogeneous objects whatever their shapes. The number of possible touch locations at the surface of objects is shown to be directly related to the mean wavelength of the detected acoustic wave. Read more

Digital Image Correlation used to Analyze the Multiaxial Behavior of Rubber-Like Materials

by Luc Chevalier et al. arXiv.org E-print Archive, 17 Nov 2005 We present an experimental approach to discriminate models describing the mechanical behavior of polymeric materials. A biaxial loading condition is obtained in a multiaxial testing machine. An evaluation of the displacement field obtained by digital image correlation allows us to evaluate the heterogeneous strain field observed during these tests. We focus on the particular case of hyper-elastic models to simulate the behavior of a rubber-like material. Different expressions of hyper-elastic potential are used to model experiments under uniaxial and biaxial loading conditions. Read more

‘Blended Wing’ Craft Passes Wind-Tunnel Tests

by Kelly Young NewScientist.com, 14 Nov 2005 A futuristic "blended wing" plane developed by NASA has passed crucial wind-tunnel tests. These reveal that engineers may have overcome some of the controllability challenges associated with the revolutionary aircraft design. Read more

Top Supercomputer Reaches New Record Speeds

by Will Knight NewScientist.com, 14 Nov 2005 The most powerful supercomputer on the planet has reached a scorching new processing speed, confirming its reputation as the world's top number-cruncher by some margin. Since last June, BlueGene/L has more than doubled in size. It now has more than 130,000 individual processors. The behemoth has now reached a peak speed of 280.6 teraflops. Read more

Brain Box

by Douglas Fox New Scientist, 5 Nov 2005 The infant crawls across a floor strewn with blocks, grabbing and tasting as it goes, its malleable mind impressionable and hungry to learn. It is already adapting, discovering that the striped blocks are yummy and the spotted ones taste bad. The infant is a trashcan-shaped robot called Darwin VII, and it has just 20,000 brain cells. Despite this, it has managed to master the abilities of a 18-month-old baby -- a pretty impressive feat for a machine. Read more

Nanofabricated Media with Negative Permeability at Visible Frequencies

by A. N. Grigorenko et al. Nature, 17 Nov 2005 A great deal of attention has recently been focused on a new class of smart materials -- so-called left-handed media -- that exhibit highly unusual electromagnetic properties and promise new device applications. Left-handed materials require negative permeability µ, an extreme condition that has so far been achieved only for frequencies in the microwave to terahertz range. Extension of the approach described to achieve the necessary high-frequency magnetic response in visible optics presents a formidable challenge, as no material -- natural or artificial -- is known to exhibit any magnetism at these frequencies. Here we report a nanofabricated medium consisting of electromagnetically coupled pairs of gold dots with geometry carefully designed at a 10-nm level. The medium exhibits a strong magnetic response at visible-light frequencies, including a band with negative µ. The magnetism arises owing to the excitation of an antisymmetric plasmon resonance. The high-frequency permeability qualitatively reveals itself via optical impedance matching. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of engineering magnetism at visible frequencies and pave the way towards magnetic and left-handed components for visible optics. Read more

Spin-Torque Diode Effect in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

by A. A. Tulapurkar et al. Nature, 17 Nov 2005 There is currently much interest in the development of 'spintronic' devices, in which harnessing the spins of electrons is anticipated to provide new functionalities that go beyond those possible with conventional electronic devices. One widely studied example of an effect that has its roots in the electron's spin degree of freedom is the torque exerted by a spin-polarized electric current on the spin moment of a nanometre-scale magnet. This torque causes the magnetic moment to rotate at potentially useful frequencies. Here we report a very different phenomenon that is also based on the interplay between spin dynamics and spin-dependent transport, and which arises from unusual diode behaviour. We show that the application of a small radio-frequency alternating current to a nanometre-scale magnetic tunnel junction can generate a measurable direct-current voltage across the device when the frequency is resonant with the spin oscillations that arise from the spin-torque effect: at resonance, the structure exhibits different resistance states depending on the direction of the current. This behaviour is markedly different from that of a conventional semiconductor diode, and could form the basis of a nanometre-scale radio-frequency detector in telecommunication circuits. Read more

Chaos-Based Communications at High Bit Rates Using Commercial Fibre-Optic Links

by Apostolos Argyris et al. Nature, 17 Nov 2005 Chaotic signals have been proposed as broadband information carriers with the potential of providing a high level of robustness and privacy in data transmission. Laboratory demonstrations of chaos-based optical communications have already shown the potential of this technology, but a field experiment using commercial optical networks has not been undertaken so far. Here we demonstrate high-speed long-distance communication based on chaos synchronization over a commercial fibre-optic channel. An optical carrier wave generated by a chaotic laser is used to encode a message for transmission over 120 km of optical fibre in the metropolitan area network of Athens, Greece. The message is decoded using an appropriate second laser which, by synchronizing with the chaotic carrier, allows for the separation of the carrier and the message. Transmission rates in the gigabit per second range are achieved, with corresponding bit-error rates below 10^-7. The system uses matched pairs of semiconductor lasers as chaotic emitters and receivers, and off-the-shelf fibre-optic telecommunication components. Our results show that information can be transmitted at high bit rates using deterministic chaos in a manner that is robust to perturbations and channel disturbances unavoidable under real-world conditions. Read more

Chaos Down the Line

by Rajarshi Roy Nature, 17 Nov 2005 Chaos, goes conventional wisdom, can only be a malign influence in telecommunications. But a technique that uses chaotically varying signals to transmit information more privately may help it shed that bad-boy image. Read more

Photorefractive Organic Polymer System Functionalized with a Nonlinear Optical Chromophore Boronate Derivative

by J. L. Maldonado et al. AZojomo, November 2005 The preparation and characterization of organic photorefractive polymer composites derived from (2-(p-chlorophenyl)-(3'-nitrobenzo[d])-(4"-methoxybenzo[h])-1,3-dioxa-6-aza-2-boracyclonon-6-ene, a push-pull boronate, which shows NLO properties, are described. The polymers are based in the photoconductor poly(9-vinylcarbazole) and the plasticizer 9-ethylcarbazole PVK:ECZ matrix, and C₆₀ as sensitizer. For the photorefractive performance, two different chromophore concentrations were used, in addition, the ratio of PVK:ECZ was varied to see the effect on the room temperature molecular orientation. Holographic experiments in a tilted four and two wave mixing geometry were performed by using a 10 mW He-Ne laser (632.8 nm). The experiments were performed at room temperature, with a fixed grating spacing L of 2.9 mm, for determining the electric field steady-state diffraction efficiency dependency and the optical gain of the composites. Acceptable photorefractive properties were observed for a polymer with a glass transition temperature T_g of 77°C. Even at this T_g, the response time was less than one second. Read more

Additives May Save Energy for Cooling Big Buildings

National Institute of Standards and Technology Press Release, 17 Nov 2005 A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researcher has come up with a method designed to improve the energy efficiency of water chillers that cool the nation's large commercial buildings. The NIST method, if confirmed through experiments with full-scale chiller systems, could save as much as 1 percent of the 320 billion kWh of electricity used annually by chillers or an equivalent 920,000 barrels of oil a day. Read more

Wearable Computers and the Military

by John McHale Military & Aerospace Electronics, November 2005 Wearable computing is much more sophisticated today than was Dick Tracy’s T.V. wristwatch; the requirements military designers want from a wearable device make that same wristwatch seem like a 6-year-old’s toy. The U.S. Army’s Future Force Warrior Program will help garb soldiers of the future in science-fiction-like uniforms that will function as computers. Currently the work is still in the research and development phase. Read more

Inspirations from Biological Optics for Advanced Photonic Systems

by Luke P. Lee & Robert Szema Science, 18 Nov 2005 Observing systems in nature has inspired humans to create technological tools that allow us to better understand and imitate biology. Biomimetics, in particular, owes much of its current development to advances in materials science and creative optical system designs. New investigational tools, such as those for microscopic imaging and chemical analyses, have added to our understanding of biological optics. Biologically inspired optical science has become the emerging topic among researchers and scientists. This is in part due to the availability of polymers with customizable optical properties and the ability to rapidly fabricate complex designs using soft lithography and three-dimensional microscale processing techniques. Read more

Future Nanotech Tools Made from Clay

by Michael Kanellos CNET News.com, 26 Oct 2005 The next big nanotech product, according to start-up NaturalNano, will be dug out of the ground. The Rochester, N.Y.-based company has found a way to use Halloysite, a naturally occurring tubular clay, as an unobtrusive carrier in metals, perfumes and other substances. NaturalNano says that by filling Halloysite tubes with copper and then mixing the tubes into a polymer, a manufacturer could make an electrically conductive plastic. Read more

Pocket Hope for Beating Heart Attacks

CNN.com, 17 Nov 2005 A miniature heart monitor that allows doctors to detect imminent cardiac arrest over the phone is being launched in the United States, offering a rapid-reaction service its manufacturers say will save thousands of lives. Read more

Butterfly Wings Work Like LEDs

BBC News, 18 Nov 2005 When scientists developed an efficient device for emitting light, they hadn't realised butterflies have been using the same method for 30 million years. Read more

USN Solicitation - Environmental and Sensor Technologies

The Navy will be soliciting proposals for research in environmental and sensor technologies. This solicitation supports the ongoing development and demonstration of buried unexploded ordnance detection technologies. It also requires laboratory research and field engineering support for studies of emerging sensors and biotechnology methods. Awards having a project period of one year with four one-year option periods are anticipated. All responsible sources will be eligible to submit proposals. Read more

Active Imaging at DARPA

by J. C. Ricklin & P. G. Tomlinson

Proceedings of SPIE 5895, 2005

Active systems, because they provide their own illumination, are capable of operating 24 hours a day and are not dependent upon the angle of the sun. Unlike passive systems, they can provide three-dimensional imaging. DARPA is currently developing systems, technologies, and signal processing to pioneer new or improve existing capabilities that employ active imaging capabilities. These involve both radar and ladar, ranging from a few MHz for foliage penetration to near-visible IR to achieve ultra-high resolution at long range. These capabilities would improve Battlefield Awareness and provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance to perform target detection, recognition, and identification. This paper discusses two different approaches to active optical imaging. One is a coherent approach that uses synthetic aperture techniques with infrared laser radar, and another approach uses only the intensity of the speckle pattern in the aperture plane. Both are capable of producing ultra-high resolution at long range. Read more

Active Imaging at DARPA

by J. C. Ricklin & P. G. Tomlinson

Proceedings of SPIE 5895, 2005

Active systems, because they provide their own illumination, are capable of operating 24 hours a day and are not dependent upon the angle of the sun. Unlike passive systems, they can provide three-dimensional imaging. DARPA is currently developing systems, technologies, and signal processing to pioneer new or improve existing capabilities that employ active imaging capabilities. These involve both radar and ladar, ranging from a few MHz for foliage penetration to near-visible IR to achieve ultra-high resolution at long range. These capabilities would improve Battlefield Awareness and provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance to perform target detection, recognition, and identification. This paper discusses two different approaches to active optical imaging. One is a coherent approach that uses synthetic aperture techniques with infrared laser radar, and another approach uses only the intensity of the speckle pattern in the aperture plane. Both are capable of producing ultra-high resolution at long range. Read more

USN Solicitation - Young Investigator Program

The Department of the Navy is soliciting proposals for its FY 2006 Young Investigator Program. This program seeks seeks to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who have received their graduate degree on or after Nov. 1, 2000, and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. Principal investigators who are U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent residents must hold a tenure-track or permanent faculty position at their university. Approximately $7.5 million is expected to be available for 24 awards. Read more

Strength in Numbers

by Gene Klager oemagazine, November/December 2005 High-quality situational awareness is critical to the continued existence of a medium-weight force that cannot depend on extensive armor for survival. Current reconnaissance, surveillance, and target-acquisition (RSTA) capabilities are not sufficient to cover intelligence gaps or provide the beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) targeting and ambush avoidance that are necessary for combat forces operating in complex terrain and urban areas near enemy forces. Networked Sensors for the Future Force is a U.S. Army program designed to develop and demonstrate a new generation of networked, low-cost, distributed unmanned sensor systems. The goal of the program is to extend the eyes and ears of the RSTA element to provide BLOS situational understanding and targeting information. Read more

Fiberoptic Sensors Come of Age

by Winn Hardin oemagazine, November/December 2005 Although the rise and subsequent consolidation of the optical telecommunications industry left its mark on many global markets and regional economies, component development funded by telecom companies has benefited many optoelectronic applications, from diode lasers for material processing to fiberoptic sensing. Read more

Graphite Found to Exhibit Surprising Quantum Effects

by David Biello ScientificAmerican.com, 10 Nov 2005 Albert Einstein, Paul Dirac and other founding physicists may have used pencils to work out the details of relativity and quantum mechanics. Now their modern successors are employing pencil lead in a new way to prove those theories -- and potentially point the way toward a whole new form of electronics.

Read more

Direct Visualization of the Formation of Single-Molecule Conjugated Copolymers

by Hiroshi Sakaguchi et al. Science, 11 Nov 2005 Electrochemical polymerization of two different kinds of thiophene monomers on an iodine-covered gold surface created highly assembled conjugated copolymers with different electronic structures. A scanning tunneling microscope revealed images of several linkage types: diblock, triblock, and multiblock. The single strand of conjugated copolymers exhibited an anomalous swinging motion on the surface. This technique presents the possibility of understanding the copolymerization process from the different monomers on the single-molecular scale and of building single-molecule superlattices on a surface through controlled electropolymerization. Read more

NSF Funding Opportunity - Cyberinfrastructure for Environmental Observatories

Spatially extensive observing systems for environmental research, together with the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of research on the dynamics of complex environmental systems, create the need for a sophisticated information infrastructure to support these observing systems and to facilitate the integrated use of data from them. There are a number of questions about how to best construct such a cyberinfrastructure. To help answer these questions and to promote planning for Cyberinfrastructure for Environmental Observatories, this solicitation requests proposals for the development of practical environmental cyberinfrastructure prototypes along with a demonstration of their capability to answer significant environmental research questions. Proposals should be for projects that pursue an end-to-end approach to an information infrastructure prototype. Proposals should identify the types of data involved and the ways in which users might wish to use such data. The proposed projects should include the careful exploration of use cases followed by deployment of a prototype that implements these use cases. Read more

Advances in Hybrid Optical Packaging Enable High-Bandwidth Photonic RF Transmission

by Steffen Koehler Military & Aerospace Electronics, October 2005 Despite the digital revolution of the past several decades, radio-frequency (RF) signals continue to play a large role in communications systems from military, to wireless, to cable television applications. Recently there has been increasing reliance on relatively high RF frequencies as data bandwidths increase and communications bands become congested. Read more

Programmable Logic: Understanding the Risks in Military and Aerospace Applications

by Dan Gardner Military & Aerospace Electronics, October 2005 In addition to providing inherent flexibility and reprogrammability benefits, new families of field-programmable gate arrays are delivering performance and density levels that, until recently, were only possible using custom application-specific integrated circuits. With embedded digital signal processing, random-access memory blocks, and microprocessor cores now easily available for use in high-end devices, it is clear that programmable logic will play a bigger role in the mil/aero arena. So, stay alert for certain pitfalls -- and opportunities -- along the way. Read more

Lead-Free Solder: A Train Wreck in the Making

by John Keller Military & Aerospace Electronics, October 2005 A slow-motion train wreck in military and aerospace electronics design is taking place right in front of us. Everyone seems powerless to do anything to head off the catastrophe, yet no one can tear his eyes away from the impending crash that we all know is virtually certain to happen. The wreck-in-progress revolves around the evolving switch in the electronics industries in the U.S., Europe, and throughout the world from conventional lead solders to the new lead-free solders. Read more

Creating a Better Transmission System for Deep-Space Applications

ScienceDaily, 25 Oct 2005 Recent advances in wireless computing technology could improve deep-space missions like asteroid research and remote spacecraft operations by changing the way signals are sent from Earth. A new method designed to effectively deliver commands and instructions using hundreds of millions of tiny transmitters linked together could also free the giant satellite dishes currently used to send and receive the long-range information for other applications. Read more

Complexity in Design

by Bob Colwell Computer, October 2005 At its most basic, what engineers do is pit their intellect, training, experience, and intuition -- and that of their design teams -- against an implacable, relentless adversary: nature itself. I don’t mean that an actual battle is going on; after all, only one of the would-be combatants even knows (or cares) that there is any contest. Students of engineering are first taught to "follow the rules" -- guidelines for design that have proven over time to result in systems that behave as intended. Civil engineers learn about traffic patterns and human driving behaviors so they can design better roads. They study strengths of materials so that their bridges will be economical and reliable. When a bridge collapses, the rules are changed to incorporate the hard-won learning. But that’s not all there is to it. Read more

Special Issue of IEEE Magazine Tackles Wind Power Integration

This month's issue of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine takes an in-depth look at the integration of wind power into the electric power system. The five articles presented in this special issue deal with topics ranging from the physical interconnection considerations of grid codes and models to the status of operating impact and capacity value investigations. In addition, guest editor J. Charles Smith provides an overview of the status of wind power development. Read more

Powdered Metal: The Fuel of the Future

by Kurt Kleiner New Scientist, 22 Oct 2005 If smog-choked streets test our love for petrol and diesel engines, then rocketing fuel prices and global warming could end that relationship once and for all. But before you start saving for the fuel-cell-powered electric car that industry experts keep promising, there's something you should know. The car of the future will run on metal. Read more

Implant to Allow the Deaf to Hear Music

by Mick Hamer New Scientist, 22 Oct 2005 An implant that will allow deaf people to hear music clearly is on its way. The cochlear implant being developed by the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, UK, will enable deaf people to hear sounds over a wide range of frequencies. Read more

Finger-Vein Reader to Foil Car Thieves

by Will Knight NewScientist.com, 2 Nov 2005 Car thieves could be foiled by a car security system that recognises the unique pattern of veins on a driver's fingers as they pull the door handle. The system would stop a thief even if he had stolen the keys to the car, says Japanese company Hitachi, which has developed the technology. It was demonstrated at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, which runs between 22 October and 6 November. A sensor positioned behind the door handle uses near-infrared light to recognise the pattern of veins across the back of a person's fingers. The handle is designed to guide a driver's hand into the same position each time they open the door, ensuring the finger veins are in the same place for each reading. Hitachi has not revealed how reliable the system is, but testing information previously produced by the company suggests that the system is as accurate as using finger prints, and requires less data to be stored for each user. Hitachi has developed authentication systems that use finger veins for controlling access to cash machines, security doors and even computers. The company has also developed a portable, matchbox-sized finger vein reader.

Battle for the Future of Mobile Broadband

by Paul Marks New Scientist, 29 Oct 2005 If you live out in the sticks, too far from your telephone exchange to have access to a broadband internet connection, you can soon expect to be hearing a lot about a technology called WiMAX. Now a group of companies led by chip-maker Intel is planning to extend the concept with a version of WiMAX that can communicate with mobile devices such as laptops and smart phones. But not everyone in the industry welcomes this development. Read more

Scratching the Way to a Faster Internet

New Scientist, 5 Nov 2005 Scratched glass could boost data speeds through fibre-optic cables, improving internet bandwidth. Light signals in a fibre-optic network are regularly cleaned up and retransmitted. This is done by electronic circuits, but electrical impulses travel much slower than light, creating a bottleneck. Now a team from the University of Sydney and the Australian National University in Canberra has created a thumbnail-sized filter out of glass etched with about 10,000 scratches, spaced roughly a micrometre apart. The material is doped with sulphur, selenium and tellurium, which broadens the spectrum of frequencies of pulses passing through. The more powerful the pulse, the more it is broadened, so the signal is changed to a greater degree than the noise, which the scratches then filter out.

New Turbine May Boost Wind Power

Associated Press Wired News, 5 Nov 2005 Recent howling winds have been like sweet music to one local company, which says its new vertical wind turbine is substantially more efficient than traditional propeller designs. Officials at Terra Moya Aqua unveiled their new turbine Friday, saying the design already had attracted interest from both domestic and foreign buyers. Company officials said traditional propeller-driven turbines are able to convert 25 percent to 40 percent of wind power into transmittable energy. But TMA's design is 43 percent to 45 percent efficient, creating up to 80 percent more power from the same wind. Read more

Could Sound Move at the Speed of Light?

by Belle Dumé PhysicsWeb News, 1 Nov 2005 Can sound waves travel faster than the speed of light? Yes, says Joel Mobley, a physicist at the University of Mississippi. In simulations Mobley has shown that ultrasound pulses could move at "superluminal" speeds when they enter water that contains thousands of tiny plastic beads. Read more

Plasmonic Bandgaps and Trapped Plasmons on Nanostructured Metal Surfaces

by T. A. Kelf et al. arXiv.org E-print Archive, 7 Nov 2005 Nanostructured metal surfaces comprised of periodically arranged spherical voids are grown by electrochemical deposition through a self-assembled template. Detailed measurements of the angle- and orientation-dependent reflectivity reveal the spectral dispersion, from which we identify the presence of both delocalized Bragg- and localized Mie-plasmons. These couple strongly producing bonding and anti-bonding mixed plasmons with anomalous dispersion properties. Appropriate plasmon engineering of the void morphology selects the plasmon spatial and spectral positions, allowing these plasmonic crystal films to be optimised for a wide range of sensing applications. Read more

On the Physical Meaning of the Gauge Conditions of Classical Electromagnetism

by Germain Rousseaux arXiv.org E-print Archive, 5 Nov 2005 Based on an analogy between Fluid Mechanics and Electromagnetism, we claim that the gauge conditions of Classical Electromagnetism are not equivalent contrary to the common belief. These "gauges" are usually considered as mathematical conditions that one must specify in order to solve any electromagnetic problem. The author shows that these conditions are physical constraints which can be interpreted as electromagnetic continuity equations. As a consequence, light cannot be considered as a pure transverse wave in vacuum from the point of view of the potentials. We discuss the (lack of) meaning of gauge transformations. Read more

Melting of the Nanocrystalline Vortex Matter in Highly Anisotropic High-Temperature Superconductors

by Yadin Y. Goldschmidt & Eduardo Cuansing Physical Review Letters, 21 Oct 2005 Multilevel Monte Carlo simulations of the vortex matter in the highly anisotropic high-temperature superconductor Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ were performed. We introduced low concentration of columnar defects satisfying Bphi<=B. Both the electromagnetic and Josephson interactions among pancake vortices were included. The nanocrystalline, nanoliquid, and homogeneous liquid phases were identified in agreement with experiments. We observed the two-step melting process and also noted an enhancement of the structure factor just prior to the melting transition. A proposed theoretical model is in agreement with our findings. Read more

Active Control of Slow Light on a Chip with Photonic Crystal Waveguides

by Yurii A. Vlasov et al. Nature, 3 Nov 2005 It is known that light can be slowed down in dispersive materials near resonances. Dramatic reduction of the light group velocity -- and even bringing light pulses to a complete halt -- has been demonstrated recently in various atomic and solid state systems, where the material absorption is cancelled via quantum optical coherent effects. Exploitation of slow light phenomena has potential for applications ranging from all-optical storage to all-optical switching. Existing schemes, however, are restricted to the narrow frequency range of the material resonance, which limits the operation frequency, maximum data rate and storage capacity. Moreover, the implementation of external lasers, low pressures and/or low temperatures prevents miniaturization and hinders practical applications. We experimentally demonstrate an over 300-fold reduction of the group velocity on a silicon chip via an ultra-compact photonic integrated circuit using low-loss silicon photonic crystal waveguides that can support an optical mode with a submicrometre cross-section. In addition, we show fast and efficient active control of the group velocity by localized heating of the photonic crystal waveguide with an integrated micro-heater. Read more

'Smart' Buildings to Guide Future First Responders

National Institute of Standards and Technology Press Release, 4 Nov 2005 The best response to a building emergency is a fast and informed one. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working with the building industry as well as the public safety and information technology communities to achieve both objectives. NIST researchers are studying how "intelligent" building systems can be used by firefighters, police and other first responders to accurately assess emergency conditions in real-time. One of the biggest problems faced by first responders is a lack of accurate information. Where is the fire within the building? How big is it? Are there flammable chemicals stored nearby? Read more

Plan Drafted for Fuel Cells on Airliners

EE Times, 7 Nov 2005 The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has drafted conditions that will allow the transportation and use of fuel cells on board passenger airliners. The action came during a two-week meeting of the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel in Montreal. The panel is still finalizing its meeting results for approval by the ICAO Air Navigation Committee, but the draft language allows the transportation and use of fuel cells using butane fuel cells, formic acid fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cells, and reformed methanol fuel cells by passengers and crew. New conditions require compliance with the International Electrotechnical Commission Specification for Micro Fuel Cell Safety, which places limits on the size and number of fuel cartridges to be carried, and allow transportation in carry-on baggage only. Once ratified, this passenger exception would go into effect in the ICAO Technical Instructions on Jan. 1, 2007. The various member states, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan, will all need to revise their own rules prior to actual implementation.

A Decision Theoretic Framework for Real-Time Communication

by Aditya Mahajan & Demosthenis Teneketzis arXiv.org E-print Archive, 6 Nov 2005 We consider a communication system in which the outputs of a Markov source are encoded and decoded in real-time by a finite memory receiver, and the distortion measure does not tolerate delays. The objective is to choose designs, i.e. real-time encoding, decoding and memory update strategies that minimize a total expected distortion measure. This is a dynamic team problem with non-classical information structure. We use the structural results of Teneketzis to develop a sequential decomposition for the finite and infinite horizon problems. Thus, we obtain a systematic methodology for the determination of jointly optimal encoding decoding and memory update strategies for real-time point-to-point communication systems. Read more

Crowd Synchrony on the Millennium Bridge

by Steven H. Strogatz et al. Nature, 3 Nov 2005 Soon after the crowd streamed on to London's Millennium Bridge on the day it opened, the bridge started to sway from side to side: many pedestrians fell spontaneously into step with the bridge's vibrations, inadvertently amplifying them. We model this unexpected and now notorious phenomenon -- which was not due to the bridge's innovative design as was first thought -- by adapting ideas originally developed to describe the collective synchronization of biological oscillators such as neurons and fireflies. Our approach should help engineers to estimate the damping needed to stabilize other exceptionally crowded footbridges against synchronous lateral excitation by pedestrians. Read more

NSF Funding Opportunity - High Performance Computing System Acquisition

The National Science Foundation's five-year goal for high performance computing (HPC) is to enable petascale science and engineering through the deployment and support of a world-class HPC environment comprising the most capable combination of HPC assets available to the academic community. By the year 2010, the petascale HPC environment will enable investigations of computationally challenging problems that require computing systems capable of delivering sustained performance approaching 1015 floating point operations per second (petaflops) on real applications, that consume large amounts of memory, and/or that work with very large data sets. Among other things, researchers will be able to perform simulations that are intrinsically multi-scale or that involve the simultaneous interaction of multiple processes.

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Ordered Liquid Aluminum at the Interface with Sapphire

by S. H. Oh et al. Science, 28 Oct 2005 Understanding the nature of solid-liquid interfaces is important for many processes of technological interest, such as solidification, liquid-phase epitaxial growth, wetting, liquid-phase joining, crystal growth, and lubrication. Recent studies have reported on indirect evidence of density fluctuations at solid-liquid interfaces on the basis of x-ray scattering methods that have been complemented by atomistic simulations. We provide evidence for ordering of liquid atoms adjacent to an interface with a crystal, based on real-time high-temperature observations of alumina-aluminum solid-liquid interfaces at the atomic-length scale. In addition, crystal growth of alumina into liquid aluminum, facilitated by interfacial transport of oxygen from the microscope column, was observed in situ with the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Read more

Quantum Coherence in an Optical Modulator

by S. G. Carter et al. Science, 28 Oct 2005 Semiconductor quantum well electroabsorption modulators are widely used to modulate near-infrared (NIR) radiation at frequencies below 0.1 terahertz (THz). Here, the NIR absorption of undoped quantum wells was modulated by strong electric fields with frequencies between 1.5 and 3.9 THz. The THz field coupled two excited states (excitons) of the quantum wells, as manifested by a new THz frequency- and power-dependent NIR absorption line. Nonperturbative theory and experiment indicate that the THz field generated a coherent quantum superposition of an absorbing and a nonabsorbing exciton. This quantum coherence may yield new applications for quantum well modulators in optical communications. Read more

An Efficient Fault-Tolerant Distributed Channel Allocation Algorithm for Cellular Networks

by Jianchang Yang & D. Manivannan IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, November/December 2005 A channel allocation algorithm in a cellular network consists of two parts: a channel acquisition algorithm and a channel selection algorithm. Some of the previous works in this field focused on centralized approaches to allocating channels. But, centralized approaches are neither scalable nor reliable. Recently, distributed dynamic channel allocation algorithms have been proposed, and they have gained a lot of attention due to their high reliability and scalability. But, in most of the algorithms, the cell that wants to borrow a channel has to wait for replies from all its interference neighbors and, hence, is not fault-tolerant. We propose a new algorithm that is fault-tolerant and makes full use of the available channels. It can tolerate the failure of mobile nodes as well as static nodes without any significant degradation in service. Read more

Tight Squeeze for Mobile TV

by Marguerite Reardon ZDNet News, 3 Oct 2005 According to a recent report from Analysys, an independent research group in the United Kingdom, capacity on a third-generation, or 3G, wireless network could be exceeded as early as 2007 if 40 percent of subscribers view even eight minutes of video per day. "Streaming video consumes 10 times the bandwidth over a network that voice traffic consumes," said Alastair Brydon, one of the authors of the report. "So watching 10 minutes worth of video per day will have a significant impact on the network. Right now, the 3G networks are empty, so it's not a problem. But if the service proves popular, then it could be a big problem." Read more

Lasers Conference Seeks Paper Submissions

Abstract submissions to the 2006 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics and the Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference are due 12 December. Papers submitted to the conferences -- held in conjunction with each other -- should cover original concepts and theories pertaining to optics and photonics. The conferences will convene 21 to 26 May in Tucson, Arizona. Read more

Phenomenological Evidence for the Phonon Hall Effect

by C. Strohm, G. L. J. A. Rikken, & P. Wyder Physical Review Letters, 7 Oct 2005 In the electrical Hall effect, a magnetic field, applied perpendicular to an electrical current, induces through the Lorentz force a voltage perpendicular to the field and the current. It is generally assumed that an analogous effect cannot exist in the phonon thermal conductivity, as there is no charge transport associated with phonon propagation. We argue that such a magnetotransverse thermal effect should exist and experimentally demonstrate this "phonon Hall effect" in Tb3Ga5O12. Read more

Array Processing Workshop Calls for Papers

With its fourth event coming up next July, the IEEE Workshop on Sensor Array and MultiChannel Processing has issued a call for papers pertaining to original developments in sensor array processing and multi-channel signal processing. Abstract submissions are due by 1 February 2006. The workshop will take place from 12 to 14 July in Waltham, Massachusetts. Read more

IEEE Magazine Examines Human-Machine Communication

Speech technology gets the special-focus treatment in the current issue of IEEE Signal Processing Magazine. The issue contains nine articles around the theme of "Speech Technology in Human-Machine Communication," along with an introduction by the guest editors, who write that "the full potential of speech technology still remains to be uncovered." Read more

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship

The Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to increasing the number and quality of our nation's scientists and engineers. Toward that end, the DoD annually supports approximately 8,000 graduate students in fields important to national defense needs. The DoD supports graduate students in a number of ways. First and foremost is the support of thousands of graduate students who are members of research teams funded through DoD contracts and grants. The students, selected by the research faculty, engage in fundamental studies under the leadership of a senior researcher and commensurately earn advanced degrees. Usually, these students are supported wholly by the DoD grant or contract. Read more

EPA Funding Opportunity - Study and Analysis of Strategies for the Technology Innovation in the Transportation

The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to fund a cooperative agreement with an eligible institution to develop innovative strategies which would result in the development and adoption of improved vehicle technologies and fuels within the United States. Such innovative strategies will consider the technical options currently available or anticipated to be available in the next 10 to 15 years, the industry and consumer cost impacts of these technologies compared to current vehicles and fuels, economic impacts, both micro and macro, to industry, consumers and society and potential policy implications. Read more

DoD Funding Opportunity - Nano Air Vehicle Program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is soliciting innovative proposals for the research and development of very small, very lightweight UAVs (nano air vehicles). The goal of this program is to prove the feasibility and viability of UAV on this extremely small scale. Such a capability would provide the military services with a highly effective tool for the collection of battlefield intelligence. Read more

Digital Receivers Power a New Generation of Electronic Warfare

by Ben Ames Military & Aerospace Electronics. October 2005 During the Cold War, military technology designers knew exactly what sort of challenge they faced with Soviet radar stations. Today, however, they face a more difficult job. Terrorists and insurgents tend to use low-tech equipment like commercial cellular phones instead of military-grade radios. They fire antiaircraft missiles from mobile launchers instead of from fortified bunkers. Designers have reacted to the new threat with a major technology change -- they are using digital radar receivers instead of analog units. Read more

Chip Manufacturers Expand Their Options for Radiation-Hardened Solid-State Memory

by John Keller Military & Aerospace Electronics, October 2005 Use of radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant solid-state memory chips is on the rise with applications in manned and unmanned space vehicles, military electronics, and even in high-altitude aircraft avionics. Yet scarce federal dollars for defense technology, as increasing amounts go for overseas military operations in the Middle East and for rebuilding the hurricane-wracked U.S. Gulf Coast and City of New Orleans, dictate that radiation-hardened systems be designed as economically as possible. That financial squeeze often translates into radiation-hardened subsystems and components for space and military applications that largely use commercial-grade solid-state memory, and make the most of shielded enclosures and software error correction. Read more