News & Events

12-01-22

Scientists have, for the first time, developed a quantum experiment that allows them to study the dynamics, or behavior, of a special kind of theoretical wormhole. The research is a step toward studying quantum gravity in the lab. [Caltech story]

Tags: research highlights CMS Alexei Kitaev John Preskill Maria Spiropulu Alexander Zlokapa Samantha Davis Nikolai Lauk Daniel Jafferis Joseph Lykken David Kolchmeyer Hartmut Neven

12-01-22

Engineers at Caltech have developed a method for 3-D printing pure and multicomponent metals, at a resolution that is, in some cases, an order of magnitude smaller than previously possible. "We had to develop a new way of doing it, and we couldn't rely on heat to build our structures," says Max Saccone. [Caltech story]

Tags: APhMS research highlights MedE MCE MCE Julia Greer Max Saccone Rebecca Gallivan Daryl Yee Kai Narita

11-22-22

Thomas Hou, Charles Lee Powell Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics, and Jiajie Chen (PhD '22) of New York University's Courant Institute, provide a proof that resolves a longstanding open problem for the so-called 3D Euler singularity. Hou and colleagues' combined effort in proving the existence of blowup with the 3D Euler equation is a major breakthrough in its own right, but also represents a huge leap forward in tackling the Navier-Stokes Millennium Problem. If the Navier–Stokes equations could also blow up, it would mean something is awry with one of the most fundamental equations used to describe nature. [Caltech story]

Tags: research highlights CMS Thomas Hou Jiajie Chen

11-17-22

Engineers at Caltech and the University of Southampton in England have collaboratively designed an electronics chip integrated with a photonics chip (which uses light to transfer data)—creating a cohesive final product capable of transmitting information at ultrahigh speed while generating minimal heat. [Caltech story]

Tags: EE research highlights Azita Emami Minwo Wang Arian Hashemi Talkhooncheh

11-10-22

Marco Bernardi, Professor of Applied Physics, Physics and Materials Science; Jinsoo Park, Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Applied Physics and Materials Science, and graduate student Yao Luo, have developed a new theory and numerical calculations to predict spin decoherence in materials with high accuracy. [Caltech story]

Tags: research highlights alumni Marco Bernardi Jinsoo Park Yao Luo Jin-Jian Zhou

11-01-22

As part of Conversations on Artificial Intelligence, a webinar series hosted by the Caltech Science Exchange, Professor of Political and Computational Social Science Michael Alvarez and Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences Anima Anandkumar discuss how misinformation is amplified online and ways their artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help create a more trustworthy social media ecosystem. [Caltech story]

Tags: research highlights CMS CNS Animashree Anandkumar Michael Alvarez

10-28-22

Caltech has been doing interesting work in 3D printing for a number of years now, especially Professor Julia Greer and the Greer Group. The team works in hierarchical, nano, battery and other new materials, as well as processes for 3D printing. One novel area that the team have been doing exploring over the years is related to hydrogel derived materials. [Read full story]

Tags: APhMS research highlights MedE Julia Greer

10-26-22

Once considered science fiction, technology capable of collecting solar power in space and beaming it to Earth to provide a global supply of clean and affordable energy is moving closer to reality. Through the Space-based Solar Power Project (SSPP), a team of Caltech researchers is working to deploy a constellation of modular spacecraft that collect sunlight, transform it into electricity, then wirelessly transmit that electricity wherever it is needed—including to places that currently have no access to reliable power. "This is an extraordinary and unprecedented project," says Harry Atwater, Otis Booth Leadership Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science; Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science; Director, Liquid Sunlight Alliance. "It exemplifies the boldness and ambition needed to address one of the most significant challenges of our time, providing clean and affordable energy to the world." [Caltech story]

Tags: APhMS EE research highlights MedE MCE Harry Atwater Ali Hajimiri Sergio Pellegrino

10-07-22

Scientists have developed a new ultrafast camera that can record footage of impulses as they travel through nerve cells. The camera technology, known as differentially enhanced compressed ultrafast photography (Diff-CUP), was developed in the lab of Lihong Wang, Bren Professor of Medical Engineering and Electrical Engineering; Andrew and Peggy Cherng Medical Engineering Leadership Chair; Executive Officer for Medical Engineering. "Seeing nerve signals is fundamental to our scientific understanding but has not yet been achieved owing to the lack of speed and sensitivity provided by existing imaging methods," Wang says. [Caltech story]

Tags: EE research highlights MedE Lihong Wang Yide Zhang Binglin Shen Tong Wu Jerry Zhao Joseph Jing Peng Wang Kanomi Sasaki-Capela William Dunphy David Garrett Konstantin Maslov Weiwei Wang

09-23-22

There has been a lot of buzz about quantum computers and for good reason. The futuristic computers are designed to mimic what happens in nature at microscopic scales, which means they have the power to better understand the quantum realm and speed up the discovery of new materials, including pharmaceuticals, environmentally friendly chemicals, and more. "Normally, when it comes to machine learning, you don't know how the machine solved the problem. It's a black box, but now we've essentially figured out what's happening in the box through our mathematical analysis and numerical simulations." says Hsin-Yuan (Robert) Huang, a graduate student working with John Preskill, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics; Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair, Institute for Quantum Science and Technology (IQIM). [Caltech story]

Tags: research highlights CMS John Preskill Hsin-Yuan (Robert) Huang