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The magnetic equivalent of electricity in a ‘spin ice’ material: atom sized north and south poles in spin ice drift in opposite directions when a magnetic field is applied. Credit: UCL/LCN

Issue no. 34, 2009 Published: Oct 16, 2009
'Magnetricity' observed and measured for the first time
First black hole for light created on Earth
Albatross inspires ocean-skimming drones
Lasers impart life lessons in flies
Researchers use radio waves to 'see' through walls

'Magnetricity' observed and measured for the first time
A magnetic charge can behave and interact just like an electric charge in some materials, according to new research led by the London Centre for Nanotechnology. The findings could lead to a reassessment of current magnetism theories, as well as significant technological advances. The research proves the existence of atom-sized 'magnetic charges' that behave and interact just like more familiar electric charges. It also demonstrates a perfect symmetry between electricity and magnetism - a phenomenon dubbed 'magnetricity'. In order to prove experimentally the existence of magnetic current for the first time, the team mapped Onsager's 1934 theory of the movement of ions in water onto magnetic currents in a material called spin ice. They then tested the theory by applying a magnetic field to a spin ice sample at a very low temperature and observing the process using muons at ISIS. The experiment allowed the team to detect magnetic charges in the spin ice (Dy2Ti2O7), to measure their currents, and to determine the elementary unit of the magnetic charge in the material. The monopoles they observed arise as disturbances of the magnetic state of the spin ice, and can exist only inside the material.
Physorg / Nature Oct 15, 2009	back to top

First black hole for light created on Earth
An electromagnetic 'black holeMovie Camera' that sucks in surrounding light has been built for the first time. The device, which works at microwave frequencies, may soon be extended to trap visible light, leading to an entirely new way of harvesting solar energy. A theoretical design for a table-top black hole to trap light was proposed earlier this year by Purdue University researchers. Their idea was to mimic the properties of a cosmological black hole, whose intense gravity bends the surrounding space-time, causing any nearby matter or radiation to follow the warped space-time and spiral inwards. They reasoned that it should be possible to build a device that makes light curve inwards towards its centre in a similar way. Now researchers at the Southeast University in Nanjing, China, have turned the theory into practice, and built a 'black hole' for microwave frequencies. It is made of 60 annular strips of 'meta-materials'. Each strip takes the form of a circuit board etched with intricate structures whose characteristics change progressively from one strip to the next, so that the permittivity varies smoothly. The outer 40 strips make up the shell and the inner 20 strips make up the absorber. Fabricating a device that captures optical wavelengths in the same way could be used to harvest solar energy in places where the light is too diffuse for mirrors to concentrate it onto a solar cell. An optical black hole would suck it all in and direct it at a solar cell sitting at the core.
New Scientist / Applied Physics Letters Oct 14, 2009	back to top

Albatross inspires ocean-skimming drones
The wandering albatross, long a sign of good luck and source of superstition for sailors, could become a latter-day boon to them as the inspiration for a low-energy scouting aircraft. The albatross's ability to fly for thousands of kilometres over oceans with barely a flap of its wings has inspired the concept of a diminutive, ship-launched spotter plane that flies great distances by employing some of the bird's lift-generating techniques. The idea is that a drone could help trawler crews spot shoals of fish, or help border patrols spot drug-runners, but with next-to-zero energy cost, according to researchers at UK's Bristol Robotics Laboratory. The wandering albatross uses many tricks to gain lift and stay airborne for long periods. One of them is to harness 'dynamic soaring'. Dynamic soaring exploits the big differences in wind speed that exist up to about 30 metres above the sea. It is this dynamic soaring capability that the Bristol team want to harness in a 3-metre-wingspan uncrewed aerial vehicle. The layer of air at the ocean's surface is slowed by friction against the water, while the layers above move progressively faster. For instance, the air at an altitude of 2 metres may be moving at 7 metres per second, but layers above it move ever faster until, at an altitude of about 30 metres, it will be zipping along at 11 metres per second. It is this velocity gradient that lends a speed boost.
New Scientist Oct 09, 2009	back to top

Lasers impart life lessons in flies
By beaming a laser into the brains of fruit flies, scientists at the University of Oxford have created new memories from scratch. The memories are very simple: just the association that a particular stimulus is bad and should be avoided. As a first step to creating this association the researchers studied fruit flies that preferred the odour of either 3-octanol (OCT) or 4-methylcyclohexanol (MCH). Next, the team electrically shocked the flies when one or the other odour was present. Naturally, the flies began to avoid the odour associated with the shock, even if they had preferred that odour in the first place. The researchers then wanted to see whether they could program the flies to dislike an odour without shocking them first. To do this, they injected an engineered version of ATP into various neural circuits in the flies' brains. This time, when the flies encountered either OCT or MCH, the researchers flashed laser light into their brains. This released the engineered ATP, which activated neurons that release dopamine, a neurotransmitter believed to create aversive memories in flies. The flies exposed to the laser light in the presence of OCT or MCH began to avoid that odour, just as though they had been shocked. Further experiments allowed the researchers to narrow down this negative reinforcement to a mere 12 neurons in the fruit fly brain. Researchers are now beginning to use the laser-light approach in mice.
ScienceNow / Cell Oct 15, 2009	back to top

Researchers use radio waves to 'see' through walls
Researchers at the University of Utah have discovered that an array of radio transceivers - devices that send and receive signals - can track people's movements behind walls. Possible uses include detecting people trapped in burning buildings, controlling lighting or heating and cooling systems as people enter or exit rooms, and spotting burglars or enemy soldiers. The technology is based on the fact that human beings absorb radio waves. The phenomenon is called multipath fading, and it causes the sudden static on an AM radio in a room where people are moving around. The advantage of radio waves is that, unlike visible light, they can be detected at night and in dust, smoke, or fog. The team developed software that displays on a screen the approximate position of someone moving within a cordon of radio transceivers. The prototype system can calculate a person's location with an accuracy of about 1 metre. One advantage of the transceiver array is that it can be set up and dismantled quickly, around a military encampment or burning house, for example. But a few obstacles must be worked out before the system is ready for commercialization. The prototype's frequency can be jammed, which might limit its usefulness for security systems. A solution might be to program the software to instantly switch frequencies if the signal is interrupted.
ScienceNow Oct 15, 2009	back to top