Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

Tandem solar cells that pair silicon with a metal halide perovskite are a promising option for surpassing the single-cell efficiency limit. We report a monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem with a certified power conversion efficiency of 29.15%. The perovskite absorber, with a bandgap of 1.68 electron volts, remained phase-stable under illumination through a combination of fast hole extraction and minimized nonradiative recombination at the hole-selective interface. These features were made possible by a self-assembled, methyl-substituted carbazole monolayer as the hole-selective layer in the perovskite cell. The accelerated hole extraction was linked to a low ideality factor of 1.26 and single-junction fill factors of up to 84%, while enabling a tandem open-circuit voltage of as high as 1.92 volts. In air, without encapsulation, a tandem retained 95% of its initial efficiency after 300 hours of operation.

The transport properties of disordered solids have been the subject of much work since at least the 1950s, but with a new burst of activity during the 1980s which has survived up to the present day. There have been numerous reviews of a more or less specialized nature. The present review aims to fill the niche for a non-specialized review of this very active area of research. The basic concepts behind the theory are introduced with more detailed sections covering experimental results, one-dimensional localization, scaling theory, weak localization, magnetic field effects and fluctuations.

Local realism is the worldview in which physical properties of objects exist independently of measurement and where physical influences cannot travel faster than the speed of light. Bell's theorem states that this worldview is incompatible with the predictions of quantum mechanics, as is expressed in Bell's inequalities. Previous experiments convincingly supported the quantum predictions. Yet, every experiment requires assumptions that provide loopholes for a local realist explanation. Here, we report a Bell test that closes the most significant of these loopholes simultaneously. Using a well-optimized source of entangled photons, rapid setting generation, and highly efficient superconducting detectors, we observe a violation of a Bell inequality with high statistical significance. The purely statistical probability of our results to occur under local realism does not exceed 3.74×10^{-31}, corresponding to an 11.5 standard deviation effect.

Electrocardiography (ECG) is a key non-invasive diagnostic tool for cardiovascular diseases which is increasingly supported by algorithms based on machine learning. Major obstacles for the development of automatic ECG interpretation algorithms are both the lack of public datasets and well-defined benchmarking procedures to allow comparison s of different algorithms. To address these issues, we put forward PTB-XL, the to-date largest freely accessible clinical 12-lead ECG-waveform dataset comprising 21837 records from 18885 patients of 10 seconds length. The ECG-waveform data was annotated by up to two cardiologists as a multi-label dataset, where diagnostic labels were further aggregated into super and subclasses. The dataset covers a broad range of diagnostic classes including, in particular, a large fraction of healthy records. The combination with additional metadata on demographics, additional diagnostic statements, diagnosis likelihoods, manually annotated signal properties as well as suggested folds for splitting training and test sets turns the dataset into a rich resource for the development and the evaluation of automatic ECG interpretation algorithms.

<p>Ammonia, a molecule that is gaining more interest as a fueling vector, has been considered as a candidate to power transport, produce energy, and support heating applications for decades. However, the particular characteristics of the molecule always made it a chemical with low, if any, benefit once compared to conventional fossil fuels. Still, the current need to decarbonize our economy makes the search of new methods crucial to use chemicals, such as ammonia, that can be produced and employed without incurring in the emission of carbon oxides. Therefore, current efforts in this field are leading scientists, industries, and governments to seriously invest efforts in the development of holistic solutions capable of making ammonia a viable fuel for the transition toward a clean future. On that basis, this review has approached the subject gathering inputs from scientists actively working on the topic. The review starts from the importance of ammonia as an energy vector, moving through all of the steps in the production, distribution, utilization, safety, legal considerations, and economic aspects of the use of such a molecule to support the future energy mix. Fundamentals of combustion and practical cases for the recovery of energy of ammonia are also addressed, thus providing a complete view of what potentially could become a vector of crucial importance to the mitigation of carbon emissions. Different from other works, this review seeks to provide a holistic perspective of ammonia as a chemical that presents benefits and constraints for storing energy from sustainable sources. State-of-the-art knowledge provided by academics actively engaged with the topic at various fronts also enables a clear vision of the progress in each of the branches of ammonia as an energy carrier. Further, the fundamental boundaries of the use of the molecule are expanded to real technical issues for all potential technologies capable of using it for energy purposes, legal barriers that will be faced to achieve its deployment, safety and environmental considerations that impose a critical aspect for acceptance and wellbeing, and economic implications for the use of ammonia across all aspects approached for the production and implementation of this chemical as a fueling source. Herein, this work sets the principles, research, practicalities, and future views of a transition toward a future where ammonia will be a major energy player. </p>

Turbulence is ubiquitous, from oceanic currents to small-scale biological and quantum systems. Self-sustained turbulent motion in microbial suspensions presents an intriguing example of collective dynamical behavior among the simplest forms of life and is important for fluid mixing and molecular transport on the microscale. The mathematical characterization of turbulence phenomena in active nonequilibrium fluids proves even more difficult than for conventional liquids or gases. It is not known which features of turbulent phases in living matter are universal or system-specific or which generalizations of the Navier-Stokes equations are able to describe them adequately. Here, we combine experiments, particle simulations, and continuum theory to identify the statistical properties of self-sustained meso-scale turbulence in active systems. To study how dimensionality and boundary conditions affect collective bacterial dynamics, we measured energy spectra and structure functions in dense Bacillus subtilis suspensions in quasi-2D and 3D geometries. Our experimental results for the bacterial flow statistics agree well with predictions from a minimal model for self-propelled rods, suggesting that at high concentrations the collective motion of the bacteria is dominated by short-range interactions. To provide a basis for future theoretical studies, we propose a minimal continuum model for incompressible bacterial flow. A detailed numerical analysis of the 2D case shows that this theory can reproduce many of the experimentally observed features of self-sustained active turbulence.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a widely applied non-destructive method of characterisation of Li-ion batteries. Despite its ease of application, there are inherent challenges in ensuring the quality and reproducibility of the measurement, as well as reliable interpretation and validation of impedance data. Here, we present a focus review summarising best metrological practice in the application of EIS to commercial Li-ion cells. State-of-the-art methods of EIS interpretation and validation are also reported and examined to highlight the benefits and drawbacks of the technique.

The localization length for disordered systems is calculated with a new recursive method. The scaling behavior of the conductance is determined. The assumptions about the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ function made in recent analytical work are confirmed. Only localized states are found for two dimensions. In three dimensions there is an Anderson transition at a critical disorder of ${W}_{c}=16\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5$ with critical exponents for the conductivity and the localization length of $s=\ensuremath{\nu}=1.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3$, respectively.

Preface. Introduction. 1. Background material. 2. Experimental setup. 3. Spectrum analysis and energy measurements. 4. Efficiency calibration and emission-rate measurements. 5. Applications. 6. Atomic and nuclear data. References. Indexes.

Within the last two decades, quantum technologies (QT) have made tremendous progress, moving from Nobel Prize award-winning experiments on quantum physics (1997: Chu, Cohen-Tanoudji, Phillips; 2001:

We experimentally investigate an optical frequency standard based on the (2)S1/2(F=0)→(2)F7/2(F=3) electric octupole (E3) transition of a single trapped (171)Yb+ ion. For the spectroscopy of this strongly forbidden transition, we utilize a Ramsey-type excitation scheme that provides immunity to probe-induced frequency shifts. The cancellation of these shifts is controlled by interleaved single-pulse Rabi spectroscopy, which reduces the related relative frequency uncertainty to 1.1×10(-18). To determine the frequency shift due to thermal radiation emitted by the ion's environment, we measure the static scalar differential polarizability of the E3 transition as 0.888(16)×10(-40) J m(2)/V(2) and a dynamic correction η(300 K)=-0.0015(7). This reduces the uncertainty due to thermal radiation to 1.8×10(-18). The residual motion of the ion yields the largest contribution (2.1×10(-18)) to the total systematic relative uncertainty of the clock of 3.2×10(-18).

We present the result of an experiment to measure the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron at the Paul Scherrer Institute using Ramsey's method of separated oscillating magnetic fields with ultracold neutrons. Our measurement stands in the long history of EDM experiments probing physics violating time-reversal invariance. The salient features of this experiment were the use of a ^{199}Hg comagnetometer and an array of optically pumped cesium vapor magnetometers to cancel and correct for magnetic-field changes. The statistical analysis was performed on blinded datasets by two separate groups, while the estimation of systematic effects profited from an unprecedented knowledge of the magnetic field. The measured value of the neutron EDM is d_{n}=(0.0±1.1_{stat}±0.2_{sys})×10^{-26} e.cm.

Self-sustained turbulent structures have been observed in a wide range of living fluids, yet no quantitative theory exists to explain their properties. We report experiments on active turbulence in highly concentrated 3D suspensions of Bacillus subtilis and compare them with a minimal fourth-order vector-field theory for incompressible bacterial dynamics. Velocimetry of bacteria and surrounding fluid, determined by imaging cells and tracking colloidal tracers, yields consistent results for velocity statistics and correlations over 2 orders of magnitude in kinetic energy, revealing a decrease of fluid memory with increasing swimming activity and linear scaling between kinetic energy and enstrophy. The best-fit model allows for quantitative agreement with experimental data.

We report on two ultrastable lasers each stabilized to independent silicon Fabry-Pérot cavities operated at 124 K. The fractional frequency instability of each laser is completely determined by the fundamental thermal Brownian noise of the mirror coatings with a flicker noise floor of 4×10^{-17} for integration times between 0.8 s and a few tens of seconds. We rigorously treat the notorious divergences encountered with the associated flicker frequency noise and derive methods to relate this noise to observable and practically relevant linewidths and coherence times. The individual laser linewidth obtained from the phase noise spectrum or the direct beat note between the two lasers can be as small as 5 mHz at 194 THz. From the measured phase evolution between the two laser fields we derive usable phase coherence times for different applications of 11 to 55 s.

We propose the concept of ultra-broadband terahertz communication, based on directed non-line-of-sight (NLOS) transmissions. Potential applications of such a system supporting multi-gigabit data rates are given, and put into the context of currently emerging WLANs/WPANs. The technology and propagation constraints serve as boundary conditions for the determination of the required antenna gain to support ultra-broadband communication. Resulting high-gain antenna requirements will necessitate highly directed transmissions. We propose the use of omni-directional dielectric mirrors to support directed NLOS paths. Their performance is investigated with ray-tracing simulations of a terahertz propagation channel in a dynamic office environment, which is calibrated with measured building-material and mirror parameters. We demonstrate that a directed NLOS path scheme will make a terahertz communication system robust to shadowing. Furthermore, we show that dielectric mirrors covering only parts of the walls will significantly enhance the signal coverage in a typical indoor scenario.

Optical clocks show unprecedented accuracy, surpassing that of previously available clock systems by more than one order of magnitude. Precise intercomparisons will enable a variety of experiments, including tests of fundamental quantum physics and cosmology and applications in geodesy and navigation. Well-established, satellite-based techniques for microwave dissemination are not adequate to compare optical clocks. Here, we present phase-stabilized distribution of an optical frequency over 920 kilometers of telecommunication fiber. We used two antiparallel fiber links to determine their fractional frequency instability (modified Allan deviation) to 5 × 10(-15) in a 1-second integration time, reaching 10(-18) in less than 1000 seconds. For long integration times τ, the deviation from the expected frequency value has been constrained to within 4 × 10(-19). The link may serve as part of a Europe-wide optical frequency dissemination network.

Abstract The definition of a “primary method of measurement ” has permitted a full consideration of the definition of primary standards for pH, determined by a primary method (cell without transference, Harned cell), of the definition of secondary standards by secondary methods, and of the question whether pH, as a conventional quantity, can be incorporated within the internationally accepted system of measurement, the International System of Units (SI, Système International d’ Unités). This approach has enabled resolution of the previous compromise IUPAC 1985 Recommendations [ Pure Appl. Chem. 57 , 531 (1985)]. Furthermore, incorporation of the uncertainties for the primary method, and for all subsequent measurements, permits the uncertainties for all procedures to be linked to the primary standards by an unbroken chain of comparisons. Thus, a rational choice can be made by the analyst of the appropriate procedure to achieve the target uncertainty of sample pH. Accordingly, this document explains IUPAC recommended definitions, procedures, and terminology relating to pH measurements in dilute aqueous solutions in the temperature range 5-50 °C. Details are given of the primary and secondary methods for measuring pH and the rationale for the assignment of pH values with appropriate uncertainties to selected primary and secondary substances.

Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic techniques are widely used in humans both for clinical diagnostic applications and in basic research areas such as cognitive neuroimaging. In recent years, new human MR systems have become available operating at static magnetic fields of 7 T or higher (≥300 MHz proton frequency). Imaging human-sized objects at such high frequencies presents several challenges including non-uniform radiofrequency fields, enhanced susceptibility artifacts, and higher radiofrequency energy deposition in the tissue. On the other side of the scale are gains in signal-to-noise or contrast-to-noise ratio that allow finer structures to be visualized and smaller physiological effects to be detected. This review presents an overview of some of the latest methodological developments in human ultra-high field MRI/MRS as well as associated clinical and scientific applications. Emphasis is given to techniques that particularly benefit from the changing physical characteristics at high magnetic fields, including susceptibility-weighted imaging and phase-contrast techniques, imaging with X-nuclei, MR spectroscopy, CEST imaging, as well as functional MRI. In addition, more general methodological developments such as parallel transmission and motion correction will be discussed that are required to leverage the full potential of higher magnetic fields, and an overview of relevant physiological considerations of human high magnetic field exposure is provided.

A calcium atomic beam excited in an optical Ramsey geometry was rotated about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the laser beams and the atomic beam. A frequency shift of the Ramsey fringes of several kHz has been measured which is proportional to the rotation frequency of the apparatus and to the distance between the laser beams. The results can be interpreted in three equivalent ways as the Sagnac effect in a calcium-atomic-beam interferometer: in the rotating frame of the laser beams either along straight paths or along the curved trajectories of the atoms, or in the inertial atomic frame.

A major methodological challenge of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is its high sensitivity to haemodynamic fluctuations in the scalp. Superficial fluctuations contribute on the one hand to the physiological noise of fNIRS, impairing the signal-to-noise ratio, and may on the other hand be erroneously attributed to cerebral changes, leading to false positives in fNIRS experiments. Here we explore the localisation, time course and physiological origin of task-evoked superficial signals in fNIRS and present a method to separate them from cortical signals. We used complementary fNIRS, fMRI, MR-angiography and peripheral physiological measurements (blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance and skin blood flow) to study activation in the frontal lobe during a continuous performance task. The General Linear Model (GLM) was applied to analyse the fNIRS data, which included an additional predictor to account for systemic changes in the skin. We found that skin blood volume strongly depends on the cognitive state and that sources of task-evoked systemic signals in fNIRS are co-localized with veins draining the scalp. Task-evoked superficial artefacts were mainly observed in concentration changes of oxygenated haemoglobin and could be effectively separated from cerebral signals by GLM analysis. Based on temporal correlation of fNIRS and fMRI signals with peripheral physiological measurements we conclude that the physiological origin of the systemic artefact is a task-evoked sympathetic arterial vasoconstriction followed by a decrease in venous volume. Since changes in sympathetic outflow accompany almost any cognitive and emotional process, we expect scalp vessel artefacts to be present in a wide range of fNIRS settings used in neurocognitive research. Therefore a careful separation of fNIRS signals originating from activated brain and from scalp is a necessary precondition for unbiased fNIRS brain activation maps.