Storing information in a quantum memory system is a difficult challenge, as the data is usually quickly lost. At TU Wien, ultra-long storage times have now been achieved using tiny diamonds. With quantum particles, information can be stored and manipulated – this is the basis of many very promising technologies, such as extremely sensitive quantum sensors, quantum communication or even quantum computers.

A light wave sent through empty space always oscillates in the same direction. However, certain materials can be used to rotate the direction in which the light is oscillating when placed in a magnetic field. This is known as a 'magneto-optical' effect. After much speculation spanning a long period of time, one variant of this type of effect has now been demonstrated at TU Wien for the first time.

What happened right after the beginning of the universe? How can we understand the structure of quantum materials? How does the Higgs-Mechanism work? Such fundamental questions can only be answered using quantum field theories. These theories do not describe particles independently from each other; all particles are seen as a collective field, permeating the whole universe.

An innovation from TU Wien brings significant advantages for electric vehicles and many other uses: The electric planet motor integrates motor and gear unit, while being space-saving, failure-resistant and energy-efficient. It is now being presented at the Hannover Messe 2017. The electric motor is a tried-and-tested concept. This, however, does not mean that there is no more space for revolutionary improvements. Usually, motor and gearbox a...

Scientists have been working intensely on developing methods for quantum information transfer. This would enable tap-proof data transfer or, one day, even the linking of quantum computers. Quantum information transfer requires reliable information transfer from one quantum system to the other, which is extremely difficult to achieve. Independently, two research teams – one at the University of Innsbruck and the other at TU Wien - have ...

The Faculty of Physics of TU Wien hosts the first Gender in Physics Day taking place in Austria as part of the EU funded project GENERA, jointly organised with the FWF and Joanneum Research. This project aims to promote gender equality in physics research organisations through implementing Gender Equality Plans recognising that physics is a field of science with a persistently poor gender balance and pronounced under-representation...

  The analysis of the minutest quantities of pharmaceutical samples is of crucial importance for the research and synthesis of new medications. At the moment it represents a technical challenge, but a new infrared method of measurement developed by TU Wien in collaboration with two research groups from Copenhagen may remedy this.

Today, 54% of the world population live in cities and by 2050, this figure is estimated to reach 66%. Worldwide, cities are ever-stronger facing numerous challenges and a stringent need to optimise their urban processes, infrastructure and facilities, such as urban transportation and energy management, in order to make the cities of the future smarter and more livable.

Just like in normal road traffic, crossings are indispensable in optical signal processing. In order to avoid collisions, a clear traffic rule is required. A new method has now been developed at TU Wien to provide such a rule for light signals. For this purpose, the two glass fibers were coupled at their intersection point to an optical resonator, in which the light circulates and behaves as in a roundabout.

Conventional memories used in today’s computers only differentiate between the bit values 0 and 1. In quantum physics, however, arbitrary superpositions of these two states are possible. Most of the ideas for new quantum technology devices rely on this “Superposition Principle”. One of the main challenges in using such states is that they are usually short-lived. Only for a short period of time can information be read out of qua...

In an electron microscope, electrons are emitted by pointy metal tips, that way the can be steered and controlled with high precision. Recently, such metal tips have also been used as high precision electron sources for generating x-rays. A team of researchers at TU Wien, together with colleagues from the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, have developed a method of controlling electron emission with higher precision than ever before.

  The idea is reminiscent of the ancient alchemists’ attempts to create gold from worthless substances: Researchers from TU Wien (Vienna) have discovered a novel way to fabricate pure gold nanostructures using an additive direct-write lithography technique. An electron beam is used to turn an auriferous organic compound into pure gold.

Today, manufacturing strong magnets is no problem from a technical perspective. It is, however, difficult to produce a permanent magnet with a magnetic field of a specific pre-determined shape. That is, until now, thanks to the new solution devised at TU Wien: for the first time ever, permanent magnets can be produced using a 3D printer. This allows magnets to be produced in complex forms and precisely customised magnetic fields, required, for ex...

As humans, we sniff out different scents and aromas using chemical receptors in our noses. In technological gas detection, however, there are a whole host of other methods available. One such method is to use infrared lasers, passing a laser beam through the gas to an adjacent separate detector, which measures the degree of light attenuation it causes.

A huge and colourful variety of crystals can be found in nature – from simple salt crystals to iridescent opals and biological crystals that are responsible for the glorious colouring on butterflies’ wings. New technological methods have made it possible to expand the range of crystals even further. ‘Colloidal systems’ often consist of particles that are able to form ordered structures entirely by themselves via so-called ...

It may appear to be a nondescript, transparent, viscous liquid, but all you have to do is irradiate any part of it briefly with UV light and it changes completely. The new special resin formulation developed at TU Wien solidifies in seconds. This effect continues to spread outwards until the resin is completely solid, which takes a matter of seconds or minutes, regardless of its previous shape. This is referred to as frontal polymerisation.

Researchers at the photonics institute at TU Wien have built a device which emits ultrashort flashes of infrared light with extremely high energy. "It is very hard to combine these three properties - long infrared wavelength, short duration and high energy", says Valentina Shumakova. "But this combination is exactly what we need for many interesting strong-field applications."

In a tiny quantum prison, electrons behave quite differently as compared to their counterparts in free space. They can only occupy discrete energy levels, much like the electrons in an atom - for this reason, such electron prisons are often called "artificial atoms". Artificial atoms may also feature properties beyond those of conventional ones, with the potential for many applications, for example in quantum computing.

TU Wien (Vienna), KU Leuven and the University of Zürich have discovered a robust surface whose adhesive and wetting properties can be switched using electricity. This remarkable result is featured on the cover of Nature magazine. When rain falls on a lotus leaf, the leaf doesn't get wet. Thanks to its special structure, the water drops roll off without wetting the surface. Artificial materials can be made water-repellent, too. It is, howeve...

Solar panels require a lot of space, so why not use the space which is abundant in large bodies of water to produce environmentally-friendly electricity? The main obstacle to this is waves, which endanger large floating installations on the water. A new lightweight construction has been developed at TU Wien which can be used to build platforms spanning one hundred metres long which remain steady and firmly in place – even in rough sea weath...