💎 Ultra-hard super diamond, atomic mirrors made of light, space-grade solar cell

Scientists from two universities in China have created an ultra-hard, high-quality “super diamond” in the lab. Interestingly, this lab-grown diamond is many times stronger than naturally occurring diamonds.

Most natural and synthetic diamonds have a cubic structure. Ultra-hard diamonds, known as lonsdaleite, have a hexagonal crystal structure.

The team responsible for the breakthrough believes their creation could have applications in key sectors, as diamonds are already widely utilized in industries like cutting and polishing tools. Let's take a closer look at this Must Read.

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MUST-READ

💎 Ultra-hard 'super diamond' developed in China's breakthrough experiment

Until now, the hardest diamonds were found only in impact craters, making them rare and small.

However, researchers from Jilin University and Sun Yat-sen University have found that graphite formed a “post-graphite phase” structure.

This resulted in the formation of a hexagonal diamond when compressed and heated under extremely high pressure. The first ultra-hard diamond was discovered in the Canyon Diablo meteorite in Arizona in 1967.

⚛️ Atomic mirrors made of light promise better, sharper quantum sensors

Researchers in Germany have developed a special technique that will allow better control over atomic reflections in quantum sensors. This new approach uses carefully engineered light pulses as atomic mirrors to cut noise and sharpen quantum measurements.

There’s a big difference between regular and quantum sensors. The former relies on classical physics to measure properties like temperature, pressure, or motion.

However, their measurements are affected by factors like thermal noise, material quality, and environmental disturbances.

🛰️ New mass-producible space-grade solar cell promises 10x cost reduction

Extraterrestrial Power, a Sydney-based private Space Tech company, has unveiled its new space-grade solar cell thin enough to be mass-produced like terrestrial solar cells.

Estimated to be up to ten times cheaper than current solar cells, this innovation could make waves in the space solar cell industry.

This new technology is timely given the current rapid growth in satellite production. It is supported by the Australian Space Agency, the federal government’s satellite agency headquartered in Adelaide.

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