All articles tagged with #tunneling
Elon Musk’s Boring Company named New Orleans a winner of its Tunnel Vision Challenge, pledging to fund a mile-long underground tunnel in the city as part of similar projects in Baltimore and Dallas. Details on route, timeline, and feasibility aren’t released; officials say the project is in early exploratory stages and will involve meetings with local leaders and geotechnical borings to assess viability.
A team uses a continuous-wave mid-infrared laser and a needle-sharp metal tip to squeeze light into sub-atomic gaps, producing near-field optical tunneling emission that resolves atomic-scale features down to about 0.1 nanometers—roughly 100,000 times smaller than conventional diffraction-limited optics. The method works with standard lasers and could enable widespread atomic-scale optical imaging in catalysts, semiconductors, and quantum materials, with findings published in Nano Letters.
The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis for their pioneering experiments in quantum mechanics and electric circuits, demonstrating that quantum tunneling and quantized energy levels can occur in larger, hand-held systems, laying the groundwork for future technological advancements.
The Boring Company's Vegas Loop tunnel has reached Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, marking progress on the University Center Drive loop. The tunnel, which began last month, will extend to the Las Vegas Convention Center's Silver Lot. The loop will feature two tunnels connecting three sites, with at least one tunnel expected to be operational by April 2025. The project aims to eventually include 93 stations and 68 miles of tunnels, enhancing transportation in Las Vegas.
Researchers have discovered that basic chemistry can scramble quantum information with surprising speed and efficiency, similar to the effects of black holes. Using a mathematical tool developed decades ago, the team found that quantum states of reacting particles become scrambled, especially in confined groups at low temperatures, on a subpicosecond time scale. This discovery could potentially lead to the fine-tuning of materials to control tunneling for innovative applications in fields such as electron conduction in quantum materials.
Israeli officials are investigating new reports of tunneling sounds heard by residents of Bat Hefer, a town near the West Bank, amid fears of an attack similar to the one carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7. Despite previous checks showing no evidence of tunneling, additional inspections have been ordered. The heightened tension is exacerbated by the ongoing threat from Hezbollah in the north. Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues its efforts to dismantle Hamas' extensive tunnel network under Gaza, which is believed to consist of around 800 tunnels used for militant activities.
Train services between Den Bosch and Eindhoven have been cancelled for at least a week due to badgers burrowing under the tracks, causing the risk of collapse. The badgers are a protected species, so permission is needed to act. Passengers will have to use an alternative route or buses. This is the second time in a week that badgers have caused train disruptions due to tunneling under the tracks. ProRail is in emergency talks with the infrastructure ministry to find a solution.