Framing the Research Landscape

Spontaneous Formation of Nanoscale Hollow Structures Could Boost Battery Storage

An unexpected property of nanometer-scale antimony crystals — the spontaneous formation of hollow structures — could help give the next generation of lithium ion batteries higher energy density without reducing battery lifetime. The reversibly hollowing structures could allow lithium ion batteries to hold more energy and therefore provide more power between charges.

This Supernova in a Lab Mimics the Cosmic Blast's Splendid Aftermath

Nestled in the constellation Taurus, a spectacle of swirling cosmic gases measuring half a dozen light-years across glows in shades of emerald and auburn. The Crab Nebula was born of a supernova, the explosion of a giant star, and now, a lab machine the size of a double door replicates how the immense blast paints these astronomical swirls into existence.

Science News: How One Physicist Is Unraveling the Mathematics of Knitting 

Physicist Elisabetta Matsumoto is an avid knitter and has been since taking up the hobby as a child. During graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009, Matsumoto came across an unusually knotty stitch while knitting a pattern for a Japanese red dragon. “I have books with thousands of different stitch patterns, but the one in the red dragon wall hanging was one I had never seen,” she says. That got her thinking about the geometry of stitches and, eventually, led her to study the mathematics of knitting.

A New Playground for Quantum Exploration: Magnetic Solitons Created in Bose-Einstein Condensate

Most waves lose their shape as they travel, but solitons defy that behavior. These self-reinforcing waves are ubiquitous in natural and artificial environments such as rivers, optical fibers, and even Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs; see Synopsis: Solitons of All Speeds). Now, two teams of researchers have independently created magnetic solitons in a BEC made from atoms with different spins. The experiments establish a new playground for further exploration of quantum solitons.