Month: August 2016

Technion Findings Describe First Observation of Thermal, Quantum Hawking Radiation in Any System

HAIFA, ISRAEL (August 15, 2016) – The eminent British scientist Stephen Hawking made predictions, 42 years ago, about elusive radiation emanating from black holes.

Known as Hawking radiation, this phenomenon is too weak to observe with current techniques, and remained a “holy grail” for the fields of atomic physics, nonlinear optics, solid state physics, condensed matter superfluids, astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics. It remained as such until Prof. Jeff Steinhauer’s observations of Hawking radiation in an analogue (model) black hole created at his Atomic Physics Lab in the Technion-Israel institute of Technology Faculty of Physics.

Steinhauer’s latest findings, published today in Nature Physics, describe the first observation of thermal, quantum Hawking radiation in any system. “We observe a thermal distribution of Hawking radiation, stimulated by quantum vacuum fluctuations, emanating from an analogue black hole,” says Steinhauer. “This confirms Hawking’s prediction regarding black hole thermodynamics.”

Pairs of phonons (particles of sound) appear spontaneously in the void at the event horizon (in layman’s terms, this is “the point of no return” in spacetime, beyond which events cannot affect an outside observer) of the analogue black hole. One of the phonons travels away from the black hole as Hawking radiation, and the other partner phonon falls into the black hole. The pairs have a broad spectrum of energies. It is the correlations between these pairs that allow for the detection of the Hawking radiation.

The Hawking and partner particles within a pair can have a quantum connection called “entanglement.” Steinhauer explains: “Using a technique we developed, we saw that high energy pairs were entangled, while low energy pairs were not. This entanglement verifies an important element in the discussion of the information paradox (the idea that information that falls into a black hole is destroyed or lost) as well as the firewall controversy (the theory that a wall of fire – resulting from the breaking of the entanglement between the Hawking particles and their partners – exists at the event horizon of a black hole).”

This observation of Hawking radiation, performed in a Bose-Einstein condensate (a quantum state of matter where a clump of super-cold atoms behaves like a single atom), verifies Hawking’s semiclassical calculation, which is viewed as a milestone in the quest for quantum gravity. The observation of its entanglement verifies important elements in the discussion of information loss in a real black hole.

Steinhauer has been working exclusively on the proof since 2009 in his hand-assembled lab, replete with lasers and dozens of mirrors, lenses, and magnetic coils to simulate a black hole. Motivated by an overriding curiosity regarding the laws of physics since he was a child, Steinhauer says that evidence for the existence of quantum Hawking radiation brings us one step further in our endless journey of discovering the laws of the universe. This understanding itself is important to human beings, as is the applications of the laws of physics in society.

Through the Wormhole, a Science Channel TV show hosted and narrated by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, featured Steinhauer back in 2012. Here, he discussed his creation of an analogue black hole in the lab and his hopes of using it to observe Hawking radiation. The analogue black hole takes advantage of his pioneering ultra-high resolution imaging system.

In 2014, Steinhauer succeeded in doing this, publishing his results in a top science journal of the first observation of Hawking radiation in any system. This earlier work demonstrated self-amplifying Hawking radiation, which reflected from the inner horizon, returned to the outer horizon, and caused additional Hawking radiation. In contrast, his latest research endorses the existence of quantum Hawking radiation, the spontaneous appearance of Hawking pairs.

Shanghai Ranking 2016 establishes Technion’s place among top global academic institutions  

The Shanghai Ranking placed Technion 69th in the index of the world’s leading academic institutions, the top position for any Israeli institute

Technion confirms its place in the list of the world’s 100 leading academic institutions, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (known as ShanghaiRanking) published Monday, August 15. Technion’s overall ranking rose from 77th place in 2015 to 69th place, placing it highest among Israel’s universities on the list.

Technion consistently scores high in the field of Computer Science (15th-18th place over the past five years). This year, for the first time, the Shanghai Ranking  included a specific Ranking for Electrical and Electronic Engineering, in which Technion ranked 39th (the highest placement for an Israeli institution in that field).

“We are proud and pleased with this official recognition of Technion’s prominent status in the global arena,” said Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie following the publication of the Ranking. “This is the most important ranking in the world of academia, and this year it places us not only highest among Israel’s academic institutions and in an excellent position globally, but also in a particularly impressive place in the field of electrical and electronic engineering, in addition to the high rankings in engineering and computer engineering.

Technion’s consistent rise in the Shanghai Ranking proves that we are doing the right thing by investing unprecedented effort in recruiting the best faculty members and nurturing our students, who represent the best that Israel has to offer. Thus we are being proactive in fulfilling Technion’s vision to be “A science and technology research university, among the world’s top ten, dedicated to the creation of knowledge and the development of human capital and leadership, for the advancement of the State of Israel and all humanity.”

The Shanghai ranking was launched in 2003 with the aim to clarify the standing of Chinese universities in comparison to the world’s top 500 universities. The rating is based on objective criteria and extensive data, including the number of Nobel laureates and winners of other prestigious awards, the number of scientific papers published in the leading journals Nature and Science, and performance in other areas relative to the size of the university.

The comprehensive Chinese study encompasses some 1,200 universities to produce the list of the world’s top 500. The 2016 list is headed once again by U.S. universities – Harvard, Stanford and Berkeley – with the UK’s University of Cambridge ranked in 4th place.

Click here for the complete Ranking

The Shanghai Ranking was published shortly after the Nature Index Ranking, which ranked Technion 26th in its 2016 list of Rising Stars, following a 40% increase in Technion’s publications in leading scientific journals. The list includes 100 institutions around the world that recorded the most significant progress in research between 2012 and 2015. The 100 institutions – almost all of them universities – are ranked by the increase in their contribution to 68 high-quality journals.

 

Technion’s international program enters its fifth year

Graduation ceremony held for graduates in Civil and Environmental Engineering

14/08/2016

The fourth class of Technion’s international BSc program in Civil and Environmental Engineering graduated on August 4, 2016. The ceremony was attended by Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Director of Technion International Prof. Anat Rafaeli, and Technion Vice President for Strategic Projects Prof. Paul Feigin.

The 15 members of the Class of 2016 are nationals of Nepal, Turkey, the USA, Venezuela, Canada, China, Israel, Spain, and Germany. Two of them, Mona Kolgasi and Timothy Nesher, said that “despite the fact that we came from all over the world and from different cultures, we became a family. This is one of the most significant moments of our lives. From now on we are engineers, and as engineers we must always think about how to improve the world and leave our mark on it.”

Prof. Rafaeli introduced the international studies program and said: “I am pleased to announce that additional Technion faculties, including the faculties of Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, and Medicine, have undertaken to grant international degrees.”

President Lavie thanked the parents of the graduates for their faith in the Technion, wished the graduates success in their future endeavors, and noted: “Following your success and that of your predecessors, the Technion has decided on global expansion as a strategic objective. In the years to come, we will develop additional international curricula – at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, in addition to advanced studies at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering. I hope some of you will continue to advanced studies, and when you’re finished you return to the Technion.”

Technion is the only Israeli representative on Nature Index 2016 Rising Stars list

Ranked 26th in the world in the list of 2016 Rising Stars, following a 40% increase in the Technion’s publications in leading scientific journals

The Technion is in 26th place in the Rising Stars list published by Nature Index. The list includes 100 institutions around the world that recorded the most significant progress in research in 2012-2015. The 100 institutions – virtually all of them universities – are ranked by the increase in their contribution to 68 high-quality journals that comprise the Nature Index.

The greatest achievements were recorded by Chinese universities:Nine Chinese institutions in total occupy the top 10 positions, and the list of 100 includes 40 Chinese institutions. This is in comparison with just 11 US institutions, nine British, eight German and only one Israeli: Technion.

The index, as stated, shows the increase in the number of publications, and in the case of the Technion this represents a 40% increase in the said period: from a score of 68.75 in 2012, when the index was published for the first time, to a score of 95.59 in 2015. (Click here for a breakdown of the figures)

“Nature is one of the world’s leading scientific journals, and it is a great honor for us to be included in its Rising Stars list,” said Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie. “The Index is further evidence of Technion’s academic excellence, the incessant improvement in the achievements of its researchers and our constant progress in realizing Technion’s vision: to be one of the world’s ten leading science and technology research universities. To this end, we are working on recruiting dozens of outstanding new faculty members every year and expanding our academic and international research activities.”

Many of the institutions on the list are really new stars, which significantly increased the number of publications in high-quality scientific journals. For example, South Korea’s new Institute for Basic Science increased its contribution to high-quality journals by more than 4,000% in four years, and is now ranked 11th on the list.

Nature Index is published by Nature Research, member of the Springer Nature Group. Springer Nature is the world’s largest academic publishing house, which publishes the most influential journals, and a pioneer in the field of open research. The Nature Research Division distributes the prestigious journal Nature (founded in 1869) and many other journals, and operates additional services for the scientific community.

David Swinbanks, Founder of the Nature Index, said: “The Nature Index is an increasingly powerful tool to assess research performance. By identifying these rising stars, we’re given an insight into which new emerging institutions are likely to play a role in addressing some of the globe’s most pressing challenges.”

More information about Nature Index is available at:http://www.nature.com/nature/supplements/nature-index-rising-stars

International Chemistry Olympiad: Technion trained Israeli delegation wins two medals: silver and bronze

Two of the four Israeli representatives at the International Chemistry Olympiad, held last week in the city of Tbilisi in Georgia, won the silver and bronze medals. The four high school students trained at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s Schulich Faculty of Chemistry and practiced there in recent months. The winners are: Ron Solan of Rishonim High School in Herzliya (silver medal) and Rina Sevostianov from Makif Gimmel High School in Ashdod (bronze medal). The other team members were Ophir Shmul from the Israel Arts and Science Academy in Jerusalem and Guy Harduf from Rishonim High School in the Harod Valley.

The International Chemistry Olympiad, held for the past 48 years, is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads for high school students. Participating this year in the Olympiad in Tbilisi, Georgia, were 264 students from 66 countries. The academic challenge faced by the students in the competition included a written test and a lab experiment, in which the students were required to synthesize a substance, kinetically monitor a chemical reaction and identify unknown substances based on chemical reactions. The Israeli delegation was trained and accompanied by Prof. Zeev Gross, head of Technion’s youth programs in chemistry and faculy member in Technion’s Schulich Faculty of Chemistry and Dr. Iris Barzilai – lab engineer at the Analytical Chemistry Lab. During the training, the delegation was prepared by chief trainer Dr. Izana Nigel-Ettinger. Ms. Mira Katz, director of youth projects at the Faculty, was responsible for administration and logistics. The delegation also received considerable assistance from faculty members, doctoral students and lab engineers at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry.

“The material that the members of the delegation were tested on in the Olympiad was very advanced, far ahead of the chemistry taught in Israeli high schools,” said Prof. Gross. “The four members of the Israeli team are outstanding among the thousands of students who participated in the screening process. The students attended intensive preparation camps to bring them to the desired level.  We are pleased that two members of the delegation – Ron and Rina – won medals, and we are very proud.”

Students at the Technion have developed a system that informs the user whether the Faculty prayer room is occupied or vacant and whether the worshipers are men or women. It does this with the aid of sensors alone, and without using a camera, which could violate the worshippers’ privacy

Mosallah (مصلى) is the name of an original system for monitoring the presence of worshippers in the Muslim prayer room at the Technion Faculty of Computer Science. The unique app can identify the current stage of the prayer and, according to this information, the system can estimate when the prayer will end. The innovative system was developed by three students at the Technion Faculty of Computer Science – female students Anwar Dabur and Lina Mudalej and male student Bakr Odeh – as their final project in the course on systems programming in an Arduino environment, held in conjunction with Microsoft R&D.

Dabur relates, “It all started two years ago, when the Faculty provided its Muslim students with a mosallah (dedicated prayer room).  It was of course a very important step for us Muslims who want to pray during the day, but we soon found that there was a little problem: a person who wants to pray in the room has no way of knowing whether it’s vacant or occupied.”

Unlike prayers with many participants, where men and women gather in the same hall, prayer in small prayer rooms is not mixed. “Therefore it is important for us to know not only if the room is occupied but also who is inside – men or women. We realized that this was a very complex challenge, but we are students at the Technion – there’s no way we would fail to solve all those problems.”

During the past year, the project year, the three visited many prayer rooms in order to analyze the characteristics that could be monitored during prayers in the mosallah, and developed the system, constantly improving it based on experiments. From the outset, it was clear to them that cameras would not be used, because they violate the worshiper’s privacy. Therefore they developed a smart prayer rug equipped with pressure sensors. The rug provides the system with information enabling it to determine whether the worshippers in the room are men or women. “Women and men pray differently,” Dabur explains. “When men pray, one of the worshippers stands in front and the others behind, while women pray in a single row. The order in which they kneel is also different. Therefore, based on the information obtained from the pressure sensors, we can determine the gender of the worshipers without entering the room.”

The system developed by the three students includes pressure and distance sensors, an Arduino controller and servo motor; software that analyzes the data; and a dedicated app that sends the user prayer reminders on his mobile phone and tells him when the prayer room is vacant or partly vacant. The system can also be used without a smartphone, thanks to an interactive interface based on an LCD touch screen installed outside the prayer room, enabling the user to obtain relevant data and inform the system that he is waiting outside.

“Using the system saves the user a lot of time. Everyone knows that time is a rare commodity when you’re a student at the Technion,” concludes Lina. “This way, instead of standing in line to enter the prayer room, I study at the library and when I see on my phone that the room is vacant, I go there to pray. In the future, we intend to turn the app into a tool for learning prayers and the special movements that go with them.”

The course on systems programming in an Arduino environment is held in conjunction with Microsoft R&D, and enables students to use technology and state-of-the-art software during their studies, including smartphones and tablets for running apps during the development phase.  In the course, which is designed to challenge the students with independent product-building projects, the students design smart systems that combine hardware and software using Arduino-based controllers connected to Azure, Microsoft’s cloud.

Arthur C. Clarke Panel