Month:February 2022

Ultrathin solar cells have reached record-breaking efficiency thanks to a novel manufacturing method that introduces specific types of disorder within the cells’ nanocrystalline structure. The low cost, reduced mass and non-toxic nature of this type of cell makes them ideal for integration into cars, rooftops or mobile devices, and the newly streamlined way of manufacturing them paves the way for their large-scale production.

Researchers in China have found strong evidence of ultracold triatomic molecules forming within a mixture of ultracold atoms and diatomic molecules. The result, if confirmed, would provide an ideal pathway to studying chemical reactions on an atomic scale, and could even allow physicists to perform quantum-mechanical simulations of the notoriously difficult three-body problem.

With its optical system, Inphocal can take focused laser beams beyond their current limitations. This has caught international attention, with the team picking up an Innovation Award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The HightechXL startup expects the novel laser beams to reach the market already this year.

Dutch physicist Robbert Dijkgraaf, 62, has been appointed education, culture and science minister in the newly formed Dutch cabinet led by Mark Rutte, who began his fourth term as prime minister last month.