A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 9 existing technology. “This breakthrough will spark all sorts of new technologies—from better navigation systems to better MRI machines,” continues Bowen. Entanglement is thought to lie at the heart of a quantum revolution, and the researchers say their work demonstrates that sensors that use it can supersede existing, nonquantum technology—and, furthermore, that it’s the first proof of the paradigm-changing potential of entanglement for sensing. Australia’s Quantum Technologies Roadmap sees quantum sensors spurring a new wave of technological innovation in healthcare, engineering, transport, and resources. TESTING | CHARACTERIZATION MORE SUSTAINABLE PLASTICS A new path toward sustainable plastics is being forged by researchers at the DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Calif., in collaboration with Dow and Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. Their new technique provides atomic-resolution details about magnesium chloride, a material involved in the production of the most common plastic, polyethylene. The researchers used pulsed electron beams in an electron microscope to produce first-of-their-kind images of magnesium chloride. A continuous electron beam rapidly damages this delicate, beam-sensitive material, but the new technique allowed the researchers to study it without harm. According to the scientists, the newmethod is useful for imaging a wide range of materials that are normally damaged inside an electron microscope. Pulsed electron beams also could be used to study soft membranes and plastics in general, advancing the quest for sustainable plastics. lbl.gov. SEEING THE INVISIBLE Researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia, created a quantum microscope that can reveal biological structures that would otherwise be impossible to see. This opens opportunities for applications in biotechnology and could extend far beyond into areas ranging from navigation to medical imaging. The microscope is powered by the science of quantum entanglement, an effect Einstein described as “spooky interactions at a distance.” Warwick Bowen from UQ’s Quantum Optics Lab says it is the first entanglement-based sensor with performance beyond the best possible Graphical depiction of the new quantum microscope in action. Courtesy of University of Queensland. Triangular holes make this material more likely to crack from left to right. Courtesy of N.R. Brodnik et al./Phys. Rev. Lett. Rolls-Royce recently opened Testbed 80 in Derby, U.K., reportedly the world’s “largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed,” according to company sources. The $125 million project required three years of construction. The new facility will support the next stage of the company’s high-efficiency UltraFan engine program, with the first demonstrator to be tested in 2022. It will also test a range of current engines such as the Trent XWB and Trent 1000 as well as future hybrid or all-electric flight systems. rolls-royce.com. BRIEF Atomic-resolution details about magnesium chloride are now obtainable via a new technique. Courtesy of Irina Vodneva. Testbed 80. Courtesy of Rolls-Royce. A major success of the team’s quantum microscope was its ability to catapult over a hard barrier in traditional light-based microscopy. “The quantum entanglement in our microscope provides 35% improved clarity
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