Graphene, a single atomic layer of graphite, consists of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. Since its experimental isolation on insulating SiO2 (silica) substrates in 2004,1 it has quickly taken the scientific and technological communities by storm. It has been dubbed as a ‘carbon flatland,’ ‘carbonwonderland,’ and a new ‘wonder material’ because of its extraordinary material properties. For instance, it is the ultimate 2D system: it is softer than silk yet stronger than steel; it conducts heat better than copper; and it conducts electricity better than silicon. It is also transparent and elastic, yet as a capping layer it is impermeable to even the smallest molecules. These and other material properties continue to astound. The 2010 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Andre Geim andKonstantinNovoselov for their groundbreaking experiments on graphene. The initial flurry of activity following discovery mainly focuses on single-layer graphene. Its few-layer cousins were largely ignored, since they are assumed to be similar to graphite, a well-studied material. More recently, however, researchers have realized that few-layer graphene (FLG) hosts a wealth of fascinating physics and potential applications.2–5 For instance, band structures are more amenable to band-gap engineering and application in digital electronics, while allowing stronger electron interactions that lead to novel correlated phenomena. Equally fascinating is the dependence of their properties on the manner in which successive graphene layers are stacked.6–9 Most FLG and graphite are Bernal-stacked. In other words, one corner of the hexagons of the top sheet is located above the center of the hexagons of the bottom sheet. Because the adjacent atoms in each graphene sheet are considered crystallographically inequivalent, there are up to 2n 2 distinct stacking sequences in n-layer graphene, with different band structures. Stacking order thus provides an important yet rarely explored degree of freedom for tuning the electronic properties of FLG. Figure 1. (a) Schematics of ABA (Bernal)and ABC (rhombohedral)stacked three-layer graphene (TLG), respectively. (b) Resistance (R) vs. charge density n (in log-linear scales) for suspended ABA (red curve) and ABC (blue curve) TLG devices. Upper inset: Scanning electron microscopy image of a suspended TLG graphene device. Scale bar: 2 m.
The competition ‘First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics’
This paper presents the history of the competition First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics organized by Poland, its development from a national workshop in 1991/92 to an international competition nowadays and its organization, as well as the results obtained by the participants.
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1Progress in the graphene research since 2010
With exotic discovery of graphene, the focus of researchers brings initiatives in field of atom-thick two-dimensional (2D) materials having exceptional and extraordinary properties. In year 2010, Prof. Andre Geim and Prof. Konstantin Novoselov from the University of Manchester, UK were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their ground-breaking experiments on the two-dimensional material graphene. Data elucidated from Scopus indicates that since 2010, on graphene 77, 221 documents have been published from over 120 countries. Number of documents reported on graphene increased from 3,748 to 16,378 since 2010 to 2016.
Read more7From 2004 to 2014: a fruitful decade for graphene research in China.
Human beings have been familiar with carbon materials for thousands of years; however, acquaintance with a single layer of sp2 carbon atoms arose only in 2004 when Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov successfully isolated a monolayer of graphene. “Carbon, the basis of all known life on earth, has surprised us once again”. This statement stems from the press release by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences upon awarding the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics to the physicists from The University of Manchester for their “ground-breaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene”. The unprecedented physical properties and unique morphology of graphene have opened doors for the scientists towards a new realm of carbon nanomaterials. In just 10 years, graphene has become a dazzling star for researchers in many scientific disciplines worldwide. The potential applications of graphene in flexible electronics and energy storage/generation devices further drive international graphene research activities, which is reflected by a recent review of the patent landscape of graphene by the UK Intellectual Property Office. Graphene patent applications have doubled between 2010 and 2012, and there has been an order of magnitude increase in patent applications over the last five years, with a total of 8416 patents worldwide by February 2013. Recently, a roadmap for graphene was published in Nature, highlighting its possible future path in the fields of electronics, photonics, composite materials, energy generation and storage, sensors, and biomedicine. In 2013, the European Union launched the Graphene Flagship targeting the future applications of this wonder material. The fast development of scientific research in China in the past decade has enabled Chinese scientists to become major players in the realm of graphene research. In 2013, it was estimated that 2200 patents relating to graphene came from China. Moreover, many exciting results from graphene studies have been published by Chinese researchers in the last ten years. By the end of 2012, researchers in China had published more than 6000 papers on graphene, which in total were cited over 90 000 times. Science Daily has estimated that the rate of graphene related publications from China increases by more than 70% annually. In order to highlight the quality of graphene research coming from Chinese scientists, we have organized this Special Issue of Small, with contributions from leading research groups in China. This special issue contains 18 papers including 1 concept article, 6 review articles, 4 communications, and 7 full papers. The content of these papers covers a broad range of graphene research, including theory, synthesis and processing of graphene and graphene-like 2D materials, and their applications in electronics, energy storage, and catalysis. During the organization of this special issue, we have received invaluable support from Sir Andre Geim, co-discoverer of graphene, Dr. Jose Oliveira, Editor-in-Chief of Small, and Dr. Yan Li, Editor of Small. Our gratitude goes to the whole editorial team of Small for their enthusiastic pushing forward and professional editing. Last but not least, we are greatly indebted to all the contributing authors of this special issue. Although this special issue cannot cover all the progress made in graphene research in China, it reflects how Chinese scientists contribute to the development of graphene-based materials. We sincerely hope that this special issue will inspire readers to make more breakthroughs in research on graphene and other 2D nanomaterials. Moreover, it is anticipated that this special issue will further stimulate exciting collaborations between Chinese researchers and scientists worldwide.
Read moreBuilding Blocks of Photovoltaic Energy Harvesting Systems [Women-In-Circuits Column
Photovoltaic energy harvesting systems have a wide range of applications, from solar-powered spacecraft to solar-powered calculators. The discovery of the photoelectric effect was made around 1920 by outstanding physicists Max Planck and Albert Einstein. Max Planck received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of energy quanta, and Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. Light, Einstein said, is a beam of particles whose energies are related to their frequencies according to Planck’s formula. When that beam is directed at a metal, the photons collide with the atoms. If a photon’s frequency is sufficient to knock off an electron, the collision produces the photoelectric effect <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]</xref>.
Read moreRevolutionizing Optimization and Deep Learning: A Thermodynamic Hybrid Network Inspired by the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton, recognized their foundational contributions to artificial neural networks (ANNs) and machine learning. This paper introduces a novel Thermodynamic Hybrid Network that merges Hopfield networks' energy minimization capabilities with the probabilistic dynamics of Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs). Leveraging thermodynamic principles, this hybrid architecture addresses large-scale optimization challenges, such as the Traveling Salesman Problem and protein structure prediction, while overcoming the limitations of conventional ANNs. This approach bridges the gap between classical deterministic models and stochastic methods, opening the door to more efficient machine learning solutions across fields like computational biology, quantum computing, and materials science.
Read moreニュートリノとフレーバーの起源( ニュートリノの物理-小柴昌俊氏のノーベル物理学賞受賞を記念して-)
ニュートリノとフレーバーの起源( ニュートリノの物理-小柴昌俊氏のノーベル物理学賞受賞を記念して-)
Dictionary of Technical Terms (<Special Issue>Physics of Neutrino - Commemorating Masatoshi Koshiba's Winning of the Nobel Prize in Physics -)
Dictionary of Technical Terms (<Special Issue>Physics of Neutrino - Commemorating Masatoshi Koshiba's Winning of the Nobel Prize in Physics -)
Read moreEDITORIAL
As a tribute to the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2016, theeditorial board of Momento Revista de Física decided to reproducea small part of their work for which they were deserving of thisrecognition. Our readers interested in the subject can see the linkhttps:www.nobelprize.orgnobel_prizesphysicslaureates2016 advanced-physicsprize2016.pdfStrange phenomena in matter's atlandsThis year's Laureates opened the door on an unknown world wherematter exists in strange states. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2016 isawarded with one half to David J. Thouless, University of Washington,Seattle, and the other half to F. Duncan M. Haldane, PrincetonUniversity, and J. Michael Kosterlitz, Brown University, Providence...
Read moreSolar Neutrino Experiments : Now and Future (<Special Issue>Physics of Neutrino - Commemorating Masatoshi Koshiba's Winning of the Nobel Prize in Physics -)
Solar Neutrino Experiments : Now and Future (<Special Issue>Physics of Neutrino - Commemorating Masatoshi Koshiba's Winning of the Nobel Prize in Physics -)
Read more5The structure of Lippmann heliochromes: Cajal and the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physics
The structure of Lippmann heliochromes: Cajal and the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physics
1Marietta Blau in the history of cosmic rays
Carlson replies: Ruth Lewin Sime correctly points out the important contributions to the nuclear emulsion technique by Marietta Blau, which are unfortunately often forgotten. Blau, together with Hertha Wambacher, observed cosmic-ray-induced “stars” in 1937. In my article, I pointed out that many results of fundamental importance were indeed obtained using nuclear emulsions, in particular the discovery of the pion that earned Cecil Powell the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physics.In 1950 Blau and Wambacher were nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics for the method of exposing sets of emulsion plates at high altitude and for observing cosmic-ray-induced stars.11. Minutes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Nobel Matters, Nobel Archives, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm (1950), p. 391. Among the other 28 nominees that year was Cecil Powell, who received 16 nominations.Contrary to what Sime says, the names of Blau and Wambacher are not absent from the “Nobel texts.” In its 1950 recommendation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Nobel Committee for Physics included as an enclosure a nine-page detailed and accurate account, written by committee member Axel Lindh,22. Minutes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Nobel Matters, Nobel Archives, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm (1950), p. 132. on the work by Blau and Wambacher. Lindh wrote that without any doubt Blau and Wambacher were the first to use plates of emulsions to study cosmic rays and the first to use the technique to observe cosmic-ray-induced stars, a phenomenon earlier observed in cloud chambers. Lindh noted that Wambacher, in a 1938 paper,33. H. Wambacher, Phys. Z. 39, 883 (1926). wrote that E. G. Steinke was the one who had proposed using emulsions to study cosmic-ray stars. In his conclusion, Lindh acknowledged the pioneering work by Blau and Wambacher but noted that it was not of sufficient significance for a Nobel Prize.The committee report44. Minutes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Nobel Matters, Nobel Archives, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm (1950), p. 81. discussing the nomination of Blau and Wambacher states that among the notable descriptions of progress made using the emulsion technique are a 1925 article in which Blau says that protons also can be observed and one by Blau and Wambacher in 1937 reporting cosmic-ray-induced stars. The report ends with the proposal to award the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physics to Powell.REFERENCESSection:ChooseTop of pageREFERENCES <<CITING ARTICLES1. Minutes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Nobel Matters, Nobel Archives, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm (1950), p. 391. Google Scholar2. Minutes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Nobel Matters, Nobel Archives, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm (1950), p. 132. Google Scholar3. H. Wambacher, Phys. Z. 39, 883 (1926). Google ScholarCrossref4. Minutes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Nobel Matters, Nobel Archives, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm (1950), p. 81. Google Scholar© 2012 American Institute of Physics.
Read moreNobel Prize in Physics. Neutrino traps and x-ray eyes.
NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICSHalf of this year's Nobel Prize in physics went to Ray Davis of the University of Pennsylvania and Masatoshi Koshiba of the University of Tokyo for using neutrinos to gain insight into the cosmos. The other half went to Riccardo Giacconi of Associated Universities Inc. for a 4-decade-long effort to view the universe with x-ray spectacles.
Read more2Tidal interactions and principle of corresponding states: from micro to macro cosmos. A century after van der Waals' Nobel prize
The current attempt is aimed to honor the first centennial of Johannes Diderik van der Waals (VDW) awarding Nobel Prize in Physics. The VDW theory of ordinary fluids is reviewed in the first part of the paper, where special effort is devoted to the equation of state and the law of corresponding states. In addition, a few mathematical features involving properties of cubic equations are discussed, for appreciating the intrinsic beauty of the VDW theory. A theory of astrophysical fluids is shortly reviewed in the second part of the paper, grounding on the tensor virial theorem for two-component systems, and an equation of state is formulated with a convenient choice of reduced variables. Additional effort is devoted to particular choices of density profiles, namely a simple guidance case and two cases of astrophysical interest. The related macroisothermal curves are found to be qualitatively similar to VDW isothermal curves below the critical threshold and, for sufficiently steep density profiles, a critical macroisothermal curve exists, with a single horizontal inflexion point. Under the working hypothesis of a phase transition (assumed to be gas-stars) for astrophysical fluids, similar to the vapour-liquid phase transition in ordinary fluids, the location of gas clouds, stellar systems, galaxies, cluster of galaxies, on the plane scanned by reduced variables, is tentatively assigned. A brief discussion shows how van der Waals' two great discoveries, namely a gas equation of state where tidal interactions between molecules are taken into account, and the law of corresponding states, related to microcosmos, find a counterpart with regard to macrocosmos. In conclusion, after more than a century since the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physics, van der Waals' ideas are still valid and helpful to day for a full understanding of the universe.
Read more4Kai Manne Börje Siegbahn
Kai Manne Börje Siegbahn
4Graphene modification with gold nanoparticles using the gas aggregation technique
Graphene modification with gold nanoparticles using the gas aggregation technique
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