New laser method gives insight into radioactive atomic nuclei

University of Gothenburg

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Mitzi Urquiza, collaborative doctoral student at the Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg and Hübner Photonics.

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Credit: Arthur Jaries

By directing pulses of laser light at atoms, researchers can study how radioactive elements decay in a matter of seconds. The method is described in a new thesis from the University of Gothenburg, which shows that the atomic nuclei of the elements neptunium and fermium are shaped like rugby balls.

Actinides are a group of elements at the bottom of the periodic table. They have a high density, are radioactive, and several of them only exist for a few seconds before they decay. Only four of the fourteen elements in this group occur naturally on Earth. The others can be produced in an accelerator, but only in very small quantities.  Uranium is the best-known actinide, but a new thesis from the University of Gothenburg focuses on neptunium and fermium.

Difficult to study

“These elements are difficult to study because they are unstable and only exist in extremely small quantities at a time for a very short period of time. At the same time, they could be very useful to us. That is why it is important to try to find out more about the atomic nuclei of actinides and their properties,” says Mitzi Urquiza, doctoral student at the Department of Physics at the University of Gothenburg as part of a collaborative program with Hübner Photonics.

To achieve this, an EU-funded network has brought together 15 researchers from various universities, research institutes, and industry partners. They have developed a new analysis method using a pulsed laser, based on an Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO). This laser technology can achieve wavelengths and colours that conventional laser systems struggle to produce with sufficient intensity and wavelength precision.

The laser pulses are directed at the atoms, revealing small changes in energy in the wavelengths that are absorbed. These changes provide researchers with information about the size and shape of the atomic nuclei, which is crucial to understanding their properties.

Atomic nuclei like rugby balls

“Thanks to our new method, I was able to produce the first high-quality description of the atomic nuclei of fermium and neptunium. Their nuclei are shaped like rugby balls. The measurements had to be done at several different facilities in Europe, each with unique equipment needed for the study,” says Mitzi Urquiza.

The results of the study can be used to refine theoretical models of atoms and atomic nuclei, making it easier to identify new possible elements and isotopes in future experiments. Neptunium is part of the nuclear fuel cycle, and in the long term, increased knowledge about the element could contribute to progress in reducing nuclear waste, but also in producing radioisotopes used in cancer care.

Thesis: Optical Parametric Oscillators for Spectroscopy of Actinides

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Method of Research

Experimental study

Article Title

Optical Parametric Oscillators for Spectroscopy of Actinides

 

Millisecond electric pulse makes titanium stronger and tougher

A joint research team demonstrates an ultra-fast, energy-efficient way to enhance metal performance

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Kumamoto University

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Schematic illustration showing how the EWF (an athermal effect) induced by HDPEC drives atomic motion and triggers phase transformation and microstructural refinement within an extremely short time, in comparison with conventional heat treatment.

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Credit: Gu et al.

Metals such as titanium are prized for their strength, light weight, and resistance to corrosion, making them essential for aircraft, spacecraft, and medical implants. Now, a joint research team from Kumamoto University, Nagoya University, Kyushu University, and Zhejiang University has developed a groundbreaking processing technique that dramatically improves the strength and toughness of titanium alloys—in just a few milliseconds.

The team discovered that applying a high-density pulsed electric current (HDPEC) to titanium alloys for an extremely short time can reorganize their internal crystal structure in ways that cannot be achieved using conventional long, energy-intensive heat treatments. Using this method, the researchers achieved up to a 30% improvement in toughness, a key property that reflects a material’s ability to resist cracking while remaining strong.

Unlike conventional heat treatments that rely on prolonged heating, the new approach harnesses a unique athermal effect known as the electron wind force. As electrons flow rapidly through the metal, they directly push atoms into new positions, triggering rapid atomic diffusion and phase transformations before the material reaches equilibrium. This allows scientists to “freeze in” complex, finely tuned microstructures that combine strength and ductility.

The study focused on widely used titanium alloys, including Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-7Nb, which are common in aerospace structures and biomedical implants. The electric pulse treatment produced nanoscale martensitic phases and layered structures that effectively disperse stress, reducing the risk of sudden fracture. Importantly, these microstructures cannot be achieved through standard heat treatment methods.

In addition to performance gains, the process offers major sustainability advantages. Because the electric pulse lasts only milliseconds, energy consumption is reduced by more than 50% compared with traditional thermal processing. This positions the technique as a promising alternative for greener manufacturing of high-performance metals.

“This work demonstrates a new paradigm for materials design,” said members of the research team. “By exploiting non-equilibrium and non-thermal effects, we can achieve superior properties while drastically reducing processing time and energy use.”

Beyond titanium, the researchers believe the method can be extended to other metallic materials, opening new possibilities for next-generation structural materials across industries.

The results were published in Nature Communications and represent a close international collaboration among leading materials scientists in Japan and China.

 

Examples of heterogeneous microstructures generated by HDPEC treatment, showing a comparison of microstructures before and after processing.

 

Change in deformation mechanisms induced by HDPEC treatment, where stress concentration is mitigated, resulting in enhanced crack resistance and improved toughness.

Image from Gu et al., Nature Communications (2026), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-026-70561-6 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Electric current-driven heterogeneous microstructures in dual-phase titanium alloys

Article Publication Date

13-Apr-2026

 

University of Tartu teaches doctors to treat refugees and migrants in line with WHO standards

Estonian Research Council

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The University of Tartu Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health has launched a new continuing education course entitled “Foreign nationals in Estonian health system”. The course is based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global competency standards for refugee and migrant health and is the first of its kind in the world.  

Developed in cooperation with the WHO, the course is primarily aimed at doctors, resident doctors and other healthcare professionals who encounter patients from diverse cultural and migration backgrounds in their daily work. 

According to the course initiator and lecturer Tarmo Loogus, Assistant in Family Medicine at the University of Tartu, healthcare professionals increasingly need specific knowledge and skills to provide high-quality care to patients from different backgrounds. 

“The course offers a comprehensive overview of how to deliver informed healthcare services to refugees and migrants and how migration can affect a person’s health,” said Loogus. “We also work through situations where patients may lack standard health records or documentation, such as vaccination certificates.” 

Communication skills are also a key focus. The course addresses overcoming language barriers and working with interpreters and cultural mediators – practices that are still relatively uncommon in European hospitals and family medicine centres. 

The flexible online format allows participants to study alongside their work, and the course is taught by internationally recognised public health and migration experts who bring both a global perspective and practical experience to the learning process. 

So far, 218 participants have registered for the course. According to Kadri Suija, Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Tartu, who completed the course at the beginning of this year, it is invaluable to all healthcare professionals who work with patients on a daily basis. 

“Working in a family medicine centre, I often encounter people whose first language is not Estonian and who have come to Estonia for studies, work or because of war. Helping a patient from abroad can be challenging, as we may lack background information about them. Their expectations of medical care may also differ,” said Suija. “At the same time, everyone must receive the care they need and experience equal and dignified treatment.” 

According to Suija, the course helped her better understand the role and impact of social and cultural factors on medical care and gave her greater confidence when working with patients from abroad.  

“In my opinion, the ability to care for patients from other countries should be part of every doctor’s basic skill set,” she added. 

According to Tarmo Loogus, the positive feedback from participants confirms the necessity of the course. “It provides an opportunity to contribute to improving healthcare services in Estonia. The international attention the course has received shows that this is a topic of global relevance,” he said. “Our special thanks go to Kristina Köhler, Liaison Officer at WHO Estonia, who helped bring the partners together into a unified team."

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Method of Research

Meta-analysis

 

New quantum technique could dramatically boost the speed of secure communications

Novel method, developed by Bar-Ilan University researchers, taps the broad bandwidth of quantum light to process many channels at once

Bar-Ilan University

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A new Bar-Ilan University study points to a major advance in quantum information processing, demonstrating a way to send, manipulate, and measure quantum information across many frequency channels simultaneously, rather than one at a time. The study was recently published in the journal Science Advances.

The approach could allow quantum communication technologies, including secure key distribution and quantum teleportation, to operate far more efficiently by taking advantage of the enormous bandwidth already available in quantum light sources.

Today, one of the main limits in quantum information processing is not the light source itself, but the measurement technology. Quantum light sources can operate across an extremely broad optical spectrum, but standard detectors can measure only a tiny fraction of that bandwidth. As a result, much of the available capacity goes unused.

To overcome this bandwidth bottleneck, researchers from Bar-Ilan University harnessed a method they invented for ultrafast quantum detection (namely parametric homodyne detection) that allows to detect the quantum entanglement of light across many frequency channels simultaneously.

In this work, the same group takes this method a major step forward, demonstrating parallel quantum processing of information. Using broadband squeezed light, spectral shaping, and parametric homodyne detection, they were able to generate, manipulate, and measure several quantum channels simultaneously.

As a proof of principle, the team experimentally demonstrated continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) over 23 independent spectral channels, with the ability to detect eavesdropping in each one. They also demonstrated multiplexed quantum teleportation.

The results suggest that quantum systems do not have to operate one channel at a time. Instead, many channels can be used simultaneously across the optical spectrum, potentially increasing the throughput of quantum protocols by orders of magnitude.

“We’re sitting on an enormous quantum bandwidth, and until now we’ve barely used it,” said Prof. Avi Pe’er, of the Department of Physics and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials at Bar-Ilan University, who led the study. “This work shows how to open that bottleneck and run many quantum channels in parallel — a step that could dramatically boost the speed of secure communication and other quantum technologies.”

The researchers say the method could eventually enable massively parallel quantum processing, with realistic systems potentially supporting thousands of channels.

“This is how we begin to scale quantum communication to real-world levels,” Pe’er added. “By using many channels at once, we can dramatically increase what these systems are capable of.”

The study highlights a path toward faster and more scalable quantum networks by making fuller use of the bandwidth already available in light.

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Journal

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adw5085 

Article Title

Multiplexed processing of quantum information across an ultrawide optical bandwidth

 

New findings reveal East Asia jet stream and summer monsoon co‑evolve differently across climatic backgrounds

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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Summer atmospheric circulation patterns over East Asia

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Credit: Yan Mi and Fan Xinyu

The East Asian Subtropical Westerly Jet (EASWJ) and the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) are two pivotal components of the East Asian monsoon system, shaping the precipitation distribution and climate over East Asia. Whether the co-evolutionary EASWJ–EASM relationship remains consistent under different climatic backgrounds has been a key question in both modern and paleoclimate research.

 

Over the past millennium, the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), the Little Ice Age (LIA), and the Present Warm Period (PWP) stand out as the three most representative typical climate periods. Investigating the co-evolutionary relationship between the EASWJ and EASM during these three periods not only deepens our understanding of the physical mechanisms of the monsoon system but also provides a vital scientific basis for future projections.

 

Based on these considerations, the paleoclimate simulation team from Nanjing Normal University utilized the Community Earth System Model (CESM-LME) to investigate the interannual co-evolutionary EASWJ–EASM relationship during these three typical periods (MCA, LIA, PWP).

 

The results, recently published in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters, show that, on the interannual time scale, the northwest–southeast displacement of the EASWJ and the intensity of the EASM maintain a stable anti-phase relationship across all three periods: a northward shift of the jet corresponds to a stronger monsoon, and vice versa. However, the study identified a significant “mode shift” in the second MV-EOF mode: during the MCA and LIA, the dominant feature is an out-of-phase (in-phase) relationship between EASWJ and EASM intensities in the midlatitudes (subtropics), whereas during the PWP it is characterized by a zonal displacement of the EASWJ, with an eastward (westward) shift associated with a stronger (weaker) EASM.

 

“This finding suggests that natural external forcings (such as solar activity and volcanic activity) and anthropogenic external forcings (such as greenhouse gas emissions and land-use change) may have fundamentally different modulation effects on the East Asian monsoon system. This implies that we may not be able to simply extrapolate climate variability patterns from past natural warm periods to future anthropogenic warming scenarios,” says Prof. Mi Yan, corresponding author of the study.

 

This study systematically compares the co-evolutionary relationship between the EASWJ and the EASM under different climatic backgrounds, revealing how this relationship shifts under the influence of external forcings and oceanic internal variabilities. In future work, the research team plans to further investigate the joint impacts of the three oceans on the East Asian monsoon system, as well as the role of atmospheric internal variability, to provide a more robust physical foundation for future climate projections.

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Journal

Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters

DOI

10.1016/j.aosl.2026.100811 

 

HKUST develops advanced sustainable energy storage technology for high-performance and safer solid-state lithium batteries

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

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Prof. Yoonseob Kim (right), Associate Professor, and Dr. Cheng Xiaolong (left), postdoctoral fellow, from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at HKUST.

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Credit: HKUST

A research team led by Prof. Yoonseob KIM, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has reported a significant breakthrough in lithium metal battery (LMB) technology. The team has successfully synthesized a novel single-crystalline 3D borate covalent organic framework (B-COF), which demonstrates exceptional performance as a solid-state electrolyte, thereby enhancing the performance of solid-state lithium batteries. This advancement promises safer and higher energy density solutions for electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage. The research paper, titled "Single-Crystalline Borate Covalent Organic Frameworks for Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries," has been published in the prestigious journal Advanced Science.

Traditional LMBs face safety risks from lithium dendrite formation and rapid degradation due to unstable electrolyte interfaces. While Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) are promising electrolyte materials due to their porous structure and stability, most existing COFs are polycrystalline, which leads to significant interparticle resistance and limits their performance. 

To address this issue, the research team utilized COF-303 as a template to construct a single-crystalline 3D B-COF with highly ordered ion channels. This single-crystalline nature significantly reduces intergrain resistance and facilitates uniform lithium deposition, effectively suppressing dendrite growth. 

This work has achieved high performance in solid-state lithium batteries in the following areas:

•    Exceptional Ion Conductivity and Selectivity: Achieved a remarkable ionic conductivity of 8.1 mS cm–1 at room temperature, with a Li+ transference number of 0.98 in a quasi-solid-state, ensuring rapid and selective ion movement.
•    Superior Interface Stability and Safety: Supported stable lithium deposition and stripping for over 2,000 hours in symmetric cells, effectively suppressing hazardous dendrite formation.
•    High Efficiency and Long-Term Durability: Full cells utilizing LiFePO4 cathodes demonstrated robust cycling with 91.8% capacity retention and 99.98% Coulombic efficiency over 600 cycles at 0.5C, delivering an initial capacity of 147 mAh g–1.

“Our research highlights the promising viability of single-crystalline 3D B-COFs as quasi-solid-state electrolytes. By eliminating the structural disorders found in polycrystalline materials, we have taken a significant step toward realizing high-performance, safe energy storage solutions that are crucial for a greener future,” said Prof. Yoonseob Kim, co-corresponding author of the study.

This research was conducted collaboratively by teams led by Prof. Yoonseob Kim at HKUST and Prof. WANG Yanming from the Global Institute of Future Technology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). The co-first authors of the study include Dr. TIAN Ye, a PhD graduate; Dr. CHENG Xiaolong, a postdoctoral fellow from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at HKUST, and Mr. CHENG Lei, a PhD candidate at SJTU.

 

Schematic of Li+ transport in

 (a) previously studied 2D polycrystalline iCOFs and 

(b) 3D single crystalline B-COFs developed by the team.

(c) Single crystal cell structure of B-COF obtained by micro electron diffraction.

(d) Schiff base condensation reaction scheme for B-COFs.

(e) Experimental powder X-ray diffraction data of B-COF.

(f) Ionic conductivities of pure B-COF under various pressures.

(g) Cycling in Li||LFP cells charged to 4.0 V with Li+@B-COF at 0.5 C.

Credit

HKUST

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Journal

Advanced Science

DOI

10.1002/advs.202513879 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Single-Crystalline Borate Covalent Organic Frameworks for Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries