waynerad writes "Some physicists are proposing using a quantum computer to simulate quantum systems, which are intractable to simulate on a classical computer. This would be huge big breakthrough for figuring out the chemistry involved in assembling large devices atom-by-atom, it seems to me. If, of course, these quantum computers can actually be built. The preprint is here.

'Simulating reality is hard task. The combined computer power of the planet still couldn't run a full simulation of simple quantum systems. However, quantum computers could efficiently simulate other quantum systems. This, in fact, was the original motivation for Richard Feynman to propose such a device as a quantum computer in the 1980s. A quantum device that runs a perfect virtual reality simulation is just a form of a quantum computer but specific things must be taken into account in the design, different from a quantum computer to factor large numbers or run other applications. The authors propose some designs for quantum simulators and point out that such a tool would be invaluable in studying new material designs, especially for new superconductors and magnets. '"

Mr_Farlops writes "In something of a reprise of earlier work involving silica nanotubes, scientists at UC Davis have developed a switchable polycarbonate membrane etched with tiny, evenly-sized pores. The pores, only 10 nanometers across, are lined with a thin layer of gold and then with another layer of oily molecules called thiols. The thiols spontaneously assemble into a switchable membrane that can be opened or closed according to the acidity of the solution on one side or the other of the membrane. The researchers envision the use of these membranes in microscopic "labs-on-a-chip," inexpensive sorting of catalysts and enzymes or in the controlled release of tiny quantities of drugs."

Eucomed Medical Technology, a trade organization based in Brussels, Belgium that ìrepresents the interests of the majority of the non-pharmaceutical European medical technology industryî, has a lengthy article ("Exploring the incredibly small") in its Medical Technology Focus newsletter (Issue 14, July/August 2002) devoted to the implications of nanotechnology in the medical field, particularly advanced nanorobotic devices.

Gina Miller writes "Physical Review Focus has a story: Splitting Up Cooper Pairs July 15, 2002. Smitha Vishveshwara and coworkers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have claimed in the 15 July print issue of PRL to have come up with a solution for separation of the problematic Cooper pairs of joined electrons in superconductors. Using electrons with different ground states to produce quantum entanglement instead of insulation tunneling, which is the usual technique, but doesn't break the pairs, the group is opting for the electronic structure of the carbon nanotube. These new conditions, which produce Luttinger liquid, effectively split the Cooper pairs."

A pair of articles from United Press International by UPI correspondent Scott Burnell describe interesting presentations by NASA officials at the NanoSpace 2002 conference:

• "Federal tech transfer turns to nanotech (27 June 2002) reports that "National laboratories and federal entities such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are paying more attention to nanotechnology as they look to commercialize ongoing research . . . Sandia National Laboratories, in Livermore, Calif., is even creating a Center for Integrated Nanotechnology to focus its efforts, said Mark Allen, a manager in the lab's technology commercialization office. The center would have facilities at both Sandia and at Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico, he told a session at the NanoSpace 2002 conference.
  "We're trying to create a 'mega user facility' that will be attractive to industry, universities and other potential collaborators," Allen said. "We'll have major projects funded by the Department of Energy, but we will also be seeking partnerships … where we can achieve better results for all parties."
• "Nanotech could turn planes into birds" (29 June 2002) deals with more speculative applications of nanotech to aerospace engineering: "Darrel Tenney, director of the Aerospace Vehicle Systems Technology Program Office at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., understands how nanotechnology . . . can yield the lightweight, strong materials necessary for next-generation airplanes. He leads $100 million worth of basic investigations into advanced research topics, including advanced vehicle concepts, aeromechanics of highly maneuverable vehicles and noise reduction."
  "Because of the tremendous potential for strength and stiffness, far exceeding the best graphite fibers we have today, we're obviously interested in (nanotech) from a structural materials application, to see if we can use that to take weight out (of aircraft designs)," Tenney said. "We know it's in its infancy in terms of mechanical properties, and whether or not we ever get there is a big question. It's a high-risk area and that's why it's legitimate for government to be investing in it."

Earlier UPI articles about presentations given at the NanoSpace 2002 conference were noted in a Nanodot post from 26 June 2002.

Gina Miller writes "U.S., Russian Nanotechnology Finally Come in From the Cold by Jayne Fried on the Small Times web site reports on recent and coming meetings that showcase US-Russian cooperation and the role of Russian scientists and companies in developing nanotechnology. Quoting Mark Modzelewski, founder of the NanoBusiness Alliance, "Russia is definitely one of the five global leaders in nanotech, along with the United States, China, Japan, and Switzerland."

Gina Miller writes "In Patently Absurd on Forbes ASAP, lawyer Gary L. Reback argues for change in the way the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office operates. He says, "The patent as stimulant to invention has long since given way to the patent as blunt instrument for establishing an innovation stranglehold." These abuses of the patent system put "vast sectors of the economy off-limits to competition, without any corresponding benefit to the public." Reback attributes the excesses of the past 20 years in large part to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeing its job as generating revenue for the government through patent fees rather than optimally balancing incentive and competition for the benefit of the economy."

Gina Miller writes "The Learning Channel will be airing a new show entitled "Science At The Edge", a new documentary series of emerging technologies. The first episode, "Beating The Odds" will be about groundbreaking medical procedures and will feature comments by Robert A Freitas Jr., author of Nanomedicine and Research Scientist at Zyvex Corporation, as well as those of Zyvex nanotech theorist Ralph Merkle, and a 1-minute microbivore animation. This first episode airs July 1, 2002 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT and repeats July 2, 2002 at 1:00 a.m. ET/PT."

Gina Miller writes "An article on the Physics News Update website Nanospintronics: A Single-Spin Transistor reports on the Institute for Microstructural Sciences that is responsible for the first prototype. "The spins of the electrons in the transistor are not random but depend on the number of electrons in the electron puddle, and on the applied magnetic field. Most importantly, by connecting the dot to spin-polarized reservoirs, one can insist that the electrons flowing in or out have their spins aligned up or down, and this criterion (is the electron's spin up or down?) can be used as a gate to allow a high or low current to flow through the dot." This new spin polarized phase technique could be used in quantum computing."

Gina Miller writes "Scientific American.com has an article Nanotech Tubes Could Form Basis of New Drug-Purification Techniques that reports a way to purify drug molecules away from their inactive mirror image molecules. The scientist's created antibodies that recognize only the proper mirror image and place the antibodies in silicon nanotubes inside a membrane. As a result the drug molecules flow across the membrane five times faster than the undesired mirror image."