So-called forever chemicals or PFAS compounds are a growing environmental problem. An innovative approach to treating PFAS-contaminated water and soil now comes from accelerator physics: high-energy electrons can break down PFAS molecules into harmless components through a process called radiolysis. A recent study published in PLOS One shows that an accelerator developed at HZB, based on a SRF photoinjector, can provide the necessary electron beam.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) uses quantum mechanics to ensure secure communication between two parties. Despite being one of the most performance degrading factors, pointing error has not been comprehensively investigated in previous studies. Now, researchers present a new framework for understanding the effects of pointing error on key QKD performance metrics, offering valuable insights for practical deployment.

For the first time, researchers from Tokyo University of Science have observed wave-like interference patterns from positronium, a short-lived exotic atom made of an electron and a positron. They generated a high-quality, laser-based positronium beam and passed it through graphene layers to observe clear diffraction. The results confirm positronium’s wave nature and pave the way for precision measurements, antimatter studies, and advanced quantum research.

Hydrogen, a clean energy source, requires a highly reliable and safe storage system, which is currently lacking. Layered hydrogen silicane (L-HSi) is a promising, safe, lightweight, and energy-efficient solid-state hydrogen carrier with potential for practical utility. This material releases hydrogen when irradiated with low-intensity visible-light sources like sunlight or LEDs. L-HSi represents a new direction for hydrogen carrier system research.

What if you could create new materials just by shining a light them? To most, this sounds fantastical, but to physicists investigating Floquet engineering, this is the goal. With a periodic drive, like light, it’s possible to ‘dress up’ the electronic structure of any material, altering its fundamental properties – such as turning a simple semiconductor into a superconductor. While experimentally proven, light-driven Floquet requires strong drives that almost vaporize the material while achieving only modest effects. But researchers have now managed to achieve strong Floquet effect with a periodic drive just a fraction of the power required for modest light-driven Floquet – using excitons. This alternative method pavers the way to applied Floquet physics and thereby exciting novel quantum devices and applications.  

For the first time and with unprecedented accuracy, a team of researchers from the University of Basel has observed unique energy flow mechanisms in a semiconductor material following excitation by extremely short laser pulses. Gaining a better understanding of these energy flow is vital for improving the efficiency of electronic devices and computer chips.

During brain development, neurons extend long processes called axons. Axons link different areas of the brain and carry signals within it and to the rest of the body. Growing axons “wire up” the brain by following precise paths through the tissue. Their navigation depends on chemical signals and the physical properties of their surroundings. How these signals work together has remained largely unknown. An international team of scientists has now shown that tissue stiffness controls the production of key signalling molecules in the brain. This discovery, recently published in Nature Materials, reveals a fundamental link between mechanical forces and chemical signalling. It could help scientists understand how other organs and body systems develop and may inform new medical approaches.