ions

By U.S. Department of Energy January 22, 2024Schematic of fast ions (black spirals) interacting with plasma waves (color) in a fusion experiment. Credit: Steve Allen (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) and adapted by Mike Van Zeeland (General Atomics)Fast ions and plasma waves in fusion reactors engage in a complex dance of energy transfer, with resonance and collision impacts playing significant roles. This understanding is vital for sustaining optimal plasma temperatures and advancing fusion energy technology.Just…

Highly charged ions hit tiny gold nuggets on an insulating surface. Credit: ucyborg.com/studioTiny structures made of gold can be specifically manipulated by ion bombardment at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) – surprisingly, the decisive factor is not the force of the impact.Researchers at TU Wien have found a way to control the geometry of tiny gold particles by bombarding them with highly charged ions. By changing the size and shape of the particles, the researchers say it is possible to create new kinds…

The white line shows the RRLs of ions of C and/or O detected by TMRT. The green areas are the modeled emission of ion RRLs. The green dotted lines are the modeled emission, taking into account all RLLs and molecular lines. The background is the image of the heart-shaped Orion nebula (M42), with Orion KL located within the lower-left bright region of M42, credit to Shawn Nielsen. Credit: SHAOFor the first time ever, a research team from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has…

According to the researchers, this newly discovered behavior has implications for comprehending the function of phosphate ions in biocatalysis, energy balance in cells, and the formation of biomaterials.Scientists discover evidence of a previously unknown state involving one of the most common ions on Earth.During an otherwise straightforward investigation into the assembly process of calcium-phosphate clusters, a team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara and New York University stumbled upon an…

Using Mössbauer spectroscopy, Osaka Metropolitan University scientists investigate the iron ion status of pyroxenes, a major group of rock-forming silicate minerals. Their study revealed that in pyroxene crystals consisting of roughly 50% calcium, the tensor that determines the ratios of iron ions at the Mössbauer spectral peaks is independent of the iron content but dependent on the calcium content. Credit: Shinoda, OMU…

Scientists at South Korea's National Research Council of Science & Technology have demonstrated a promising new battery architecture, and one that could lead to big improvements in capacity and charge times. The breakthrough stems from a new design for high-density lithium metal batteries that carefully controls problematic ion growths, enabling it to maintain its function over hundreds of cycles.The lithium batteries in use today feature an anode component made out of graphite, but were scientists able to use pure…

Karen Hopkin: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Karen Hopkin. They say you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. But what if you had access to a remote-controlled carnivorous plant? Because researchers have engineered a bio-inspired system…an artificial neuron, if you will…that can trigger the snap of a Venus fly trap.   Simone Fabiano: Hi, my name is Simone Fabiano. I'm associate professor at Linköping University in Sweden. Hopkin: Fabiano designed the trap-springing device using nerve…

There are water molecules and ice up on the Moon, so how did they get there? Asteroid and comet collisions are likely to have produced some of it, but a new study suggests another source of lunar water: the Earth's atmosphere.  Hydrogen and oxygen ions escaping from our planet's upper atmosphere and then combining on the Moon could have created as much as 3,500 cubic kilometers (840 cubic miles) of surface permafrost or subsurface liquid water, scientists say.The thinking is that hydrogen and oxygen ions are driven into…