SIN Curved LASER Beams: Orion K. June 2009

Researchers from the University of Arizona and from the University of Central Florida have made an advancement in the study of “ultra-intense” lasers. So reports Larry Greenemeier, in his article called High-Intensity Lasers Throw Scientists a Curve, published on the 10th of April 2009 at sciam.com (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=high-intensity-lasers-curve). These lasers could improve scientific study by heightening researchers’ understanding of atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics. The lasers emit brief (only 35 femtoseconds, or 3.5 x 10-14 seconds), but powerful, pulses. However, the short nature (about 10 microns, due to the brief pulses) of these pulses makes them difficult to study.

The researches bent a laser beam; an advancement that they hope will help to show them how these lasers travel though air, and also help to find new ways of using ultra-intense lasers. To make the lasers bend, the researchers “shot” the laser blasts (called bullets) at a sheet of thin glass that had a specific thickness variation. The bullets, which originally had a round shape, were turned into a more triangle-like shape. Because of their high intensity, the laser bullets ionized the air in their wake, leaving plasma behind the pulses, and giving them extreme electromagnetic energy. The bent plasma trail that is left behind can then be scrutinized by scientists. This enables them to learn much more about the structure of laser beams, which, co-author of the research Jerome Moloney says “is very important”.

A bent laser could be used to pull lightening from clouds safely, or to illuminate upper atmosphere spectroscopic studies (such as those of ozone and atmospheric CO2).

SIN Racetrack Memory: May 2009, Orion K.

A new type of solid-state memory, called racetrack memory (RM), may become the high-speed, high data density, nonvolatile, reliable, and reasonably priced option for data storage. It operates by reading and writing the electrical charge in sections of nanowire imbedded in silicone, and may achieve high data density by using three-dimensional arrays. This was reported by Stuart S. P. Parkin on page 76 of the June 2009 issue of Scientific American; his article was entitled Data in the Fast Lanes of Racetrack Memory (see for a version of the article).

RM tries to combine the benefits of the high write speeds of solid-state memory with the nonvolatile (meaning the data remains when the computer powers down) benefits of magnetic hard disk drives. Miniscule polarized electron spin sections in the RM permalloy wire (a highly magnetic nickel-iron alloy) stores data bits. This is done by assigning each section a 0 or 1 value based on the negative or positive polarized spin. Each section is separated by a “domain wall” where the spin switches from negative to positive or contrariwise. However, to read and write data, these states must pass a read/write head.

In a traditional disk drive, the read/write head moves on an arm, and the disk spins to access the data. However, RM does not need to move anything to access the data. A slight, polarized, electrical pulse could move the domain wall at 150 nanometers per nanosecond, whilst maintaining their spacing. The walls could be moved past heads that can read and write information to and from the wire.

This could reduce computers’ energy consumption and increase their lifespan by reducing moving parts and therefore reducing cooling needs.

Alex L., S.I.N, May, Fanless Air Exchange Technology

A major power drain and overall issue for notebook computers is the cooling system, for as computing power is condensed, more heat is generated. This heat must be removed to avoid potentially damaging temperatures. A new technology is being developed independently in many places to combat this, as reported on in the article “Cool Idea: Fan-Free Technology Could Put a Chill on Hot Laptops” written by Larry Greenemeier and published at Sciam.com. The technology under development is a step forward in the process of the remedying this problem, a fanless air/heat-exchange system.
The specific technology, the electrostatic fluid accelerator (EFA), operates as follows: air at one side of the device is ionized and this ionized fluid is drawn toward a negatively charged electrode at the opposite side of the device. The ionized air brings with it un-ionized air and thereby generates a current of air. A heat sink could be built into the device itself, or it could be easily integrated. In a laboratory setting, one research group constructed an EFA that could develop a similar amount of heat transfer as could a conventional fan, but needed only half the energy input. While researchers are unwilling to explain the function of the unit in more depth, they do concede some faults do exist. Faults included that a basis for mass production does not exist and its longevity is unknown.
Portable electronics cannot become more powerful unless more heat can be efficiently removed. This technology is the logical next step to take in this direction.

Keagan May SIN UFO Saved Earth

In the article, UFO saved Earth posted on May 28, 2009 at many sites including Fox News, Russian scientists believe that they found a control panel of a UFO that they think saved the Earth from a meteor. Dr Yuri Labvin has found a large piece of quartz with markings that look like it has a different language on it. Dr. Labvin has the idea that it might be part of a UFO control panel. It was found in Russia near a place where something exploded knocking down 100 square miles of woods. Nobody really knows what caused the explosion. They also found a certain type of rock that is only made in space. Not everybody believes this idea, one scientist from Britain says they have to test the quartz before they know that it is part of a space ship. I think this is interesting because there might actually be other life forms in the galaxy.

Swine Influenza

The May5,2009 Burlington Free Press the article called Swine Influenza written by Kathy Tam talked about the effects of the swine flu and whare it came from. H1N1comes from Mexico it is found in other countries including the U.S. It Is a viral infection that has adapted from pig to human. The virus can rest on hard surfaces like plastic. You can’t get the swine flu from eating properly cooked pork.

TJ April SIN Spring Peepers

TJ
NGkids
Spring peepers are found in forests and fields near ponds and swamps in Canada and the United States. they are rarely seen, but as temperatures rise they are certainly are heard. they are about 1.5 inches long and have toe pad like suction cups. They feed on bugs. their chirps can often be heard as far as a half-mile away. I like frogs and they are good a eating bugs.

Stephen - April SIN - The Hungry Blob at the Edge of the Universe

Stephen Ornes wrote The Hungry Blob at the Edge of the Universe
on April 29,2009, it was published at www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20090429/Feature1. The blob is actually called a Lyman-alpha blob. Astronomer Masami Ouchi and his team believes that this distant galaxy is feeding off of cold gases. Other Astronomers think that these are smaller galaxys coming togeather and make one big galaxy or that this blob is a cloud of gas that is being heated by a huge black hole. This blob is so far away that it is the fourth most distant object ever seen. This blob is seen by a special telescopes that is able to see infrared light coming from space. We can’t see them with our own eyes but you can feel it. Infrared light feels like heat at a distance