Laser plasma acceleration is a potentially disruptive technology: It could be used to build far more compact accelerators and open up new use cases in fundamental research, industry and health. However, on the path to real-world applications, some properties of the plasma-driven electron beam as delivered by current prototype accelerators still need to be refined. DESY’s LUX experiment has now made significant progress in this direction: Using a clever correction system, a research team was able to significantly improve the quality of electron bunches accelerated by a laser plasma accelerator. This brings the technology a step closer to concrete applications, such as a plasma-based injector for a synchrotron storage ring. The research group presents their results in the journal Nature.

Shandong University’s Cheeloo College of Medicine has launched Healthcare and Rehabilitation (H&R), a peer-reviewed open-access journal. The journal aims to tackle global healthcare challenges through interdisciplinary research, offering free publication and fostering collaboration across fields like artificial intelligence, medical-engineering, and rehabilitation.

For the first time, ETH materials scientists are measuring the rolling friction of tiny, micrometre-sized particles. These measurements permit them to better understand everyday products such as concrete.

A recent review paper in Engineering presents a new safety concept for next-generation aviation. As air traffic complexity rises and future civil aviation systems become more complex, this system-of-systems (SoS) safety concept aims to address new risks. It draws inspiration from the human immune system and outlines a three-phase development plan for aviation safety, potentially revolutionizing how we approach aviation safety management.

A new study in Engineering offers a carbon-coupled network charge-guided bi-level interactive optimization method. It focuses on optimal peer-to-peer (P2P) coupled electricity and carbon trading among prosumers in distribution networks. The method aims to address the challenges from distributed renewable energy and has been proven effective in a case study, bringing potential benefits to network operation and the energy transition.