Uncovering the Interplay between Two Famous Quantum Effects

What Happens when two Quantum Effects Combine?

In science, the Casimir effect and superconductivity are well known phenomenon and are widely studied. On their own, scientists know all that is there to study about them. But what happens when two widely known quantum effects combine with each other? Researchers at Delft University have tried doing just that.

By conducting a simple experiment, using a microchip with two wires, scientists plan to observe what happens when two of the most known quantum effects combine. Scientists placed two wires in close proximity to observe the Casimir effect when they become superconducting.

What is the Casimir Effect? 

For us non- scientists, knowing what something like Casimir effect is not really a given. Named after Dutch scientist Hendrik Casimir with Dirk Polder, The Casimir effect was discovered.

When objects are placed very close to one and another, and I mean really close like a thousandth of the diameter of your hair, then you get the Casimir effect.

The minute space or vacuum between these objects pushes the objects together, giving you the Casimir effect.

The same quantum effect is present with all objects, but to get it to work right, the precise space between objects is a must. With Casimir effect, scientists come to know what that exact space in- between is.

 

What is Superconductivity as one of the Quantum Effects? 

This one too was discovered by another Dutchman. Discovered by Heike Kamerlingh in the early twentieth century, superconductivity describes how certain metals like aluminium and lead conduct electricity at very low temperatures such as at cryogenic ones.

The knowledge of superconductivity has revolutionized the world of physics and has led to many discoveries and inventions such as magnetically levitated trains and MRI scans. Even the mobile stations use the same quantum effect.

So Getting to the point with these two Quantum Effects: 

Scientists know everything that there is to know with these quantum effects. But have never really explored what happens when both these quantum effects combine. That is until now.

Casimir effect has been widely studied with many different objects but never really been used with superconductors as the objects. This was not because no one thought of it but because of technological problems of conducting an experiment at cryogenic temperatures.

What is the solution to observe these two quantum effects at work? 

Researchers at Delft University used a unique sensor that allows them to measure forces acting between two closely spaced superconductors to observe both quantum effects at play.

To observe these two quantum effects at work, scientists used a microchip which is the sensor that houses two wires spaced closely to one and another and that can be cooled to give you superconductivity.

These wires have holes in the middle in which light gets trapped. Any displacement in light shows scientists the forces acting with these two quantum effects.

What did scientist find with these two Quantum Effects? 

Scientists may not have discovered anything new as yet, but have disproved a theory with both Quantum effects.

A theory states that the Casimir effect will be more because of gravitational fields bouncing off the superconductors. Scientists combining both these quantum effects, seen nothing of the sort.

How Technology Has Made Communication Easier and Less Expensive

Remember the good old days when you had to send a handwritten letter in order to communicate with your best friend who lived two counties away? Or better yet, remember when you picked up a landline and could hear someone else's conversation taking place? If you remember the first scenario but not the second, you're a millennial. If you remember neither scenarios, you're Gen Y. If you remember both scenarios, you're likely thankful for technology.

Technology today has made it easier than ever for the world to stay connected. Not only that, it has made it less expensive than ever before. For instance, to place a long distance call on a landline would cost homeowners anywhere from $.05 to $1.40 per minute. "Long distance" in this instance, however, isn't what it means today—it meant the next town over, or anything out of a defined local calling code. For many people, talking with friends, family members, or acquaintances was an expensive endeavor—that is, if they didn't keep their calls short enough.

Today, thanks to advancements in technology such as Skype, cloud calling, and switches (conmutadores for our Spanish readers), individuals can connect with others from towns, cities, states, or even countries over, without fear of racking up a huge bill. Below are just two ways in which technology has made staying in touch so much easier.

Relay a Message in a Matter of Second

Before the advent of vehicles, letters would take approximately 14 days to reach their final destinations. With the advent of vehicles, that timeframe was significantly shortened, and individuals could relay a message in as little as two to three days. From a pioneer's perspective, that's unthinkable; from a modern person's perspective, that's unacceptable. Thanks to platforms such as Facebook, SnapChat, Instagram, and email, people today can communicate back and forth via text within a matter of seconds. Of course, text messaging should not be ignored. Text was one of the first modern modes of communication, and it has changed the communication game forever.

Host Calls Over the Cloud

10 or even five years ago, if you used the term "cloud," most people would assume you were talking about those fluffy white cotton balls in the atmosphere. Today, however, the term "cloud" has taken on a whole new meaning. Cloud simply refers to something hosted on the internet. Oftentimes, that something is storage, but a lesser known use for the cloud is calling.

Cloud calling allows anyone with an internet access to place a phone call, for free. This makes it easy for individuals who don't have great cell service, who don't have access to a cell phone, or who simply want to place a call from their workstation, to communicate with others.

As if that's not benefit enough, cloud-based phone systems allow individuals to meet face-to-face without ever actually meeting in person. Platforms such as Skype and FaceTime use a computer or device's forward-facing camera to allow face-to-face interaction between parties who are in separate rooms, cities, or countries. Again, cloud-based platforms allow individuals to do all this gratis.

Technology has changed the communication game for the better. Thanks to technological advancements, humans can communicate in a matter of seconds and for pennies on the dollar—or, in the case of cloud calling, for free.

Forza Horizon 4 trailer and all you can Expect

Forza Horizon 4’s trailer just been released a few days back by Xbox and there’s a lot to expect from the game this time around. Among the many new features to be launched with Forza Horizon 4 are dynamic seasons and gameplay modes.

The trailer shows Ralph Fulton and Benjamin Penrose talking about the game’s features as well on board, also talking on the video are the creative director and art director for Forza Horizon 4. There’s a lot to expect from the game so without further ado let’s get into Forza Horizon 4’s new features.

Racing through dynamic seasons on Forza Horizon 4: 

The game takes places through multiple seasons and these are not just there for ambience or looks. This will affect the way players play the game like the type of car they choose to race in cold seasons.
In winter for example there’ll be ice and snow on the tracks which will affect how players maneuver in their cars taking on the sharp and slippery bends and turns in the road. All these seasons will be seen in a 4K setting.

Living in Forza Horizon 4’s landscape: 

Another change made to the game is an addition in the form of residences for players. In Forza Horizon 4, players will get 12 houses in the span of the game with the first one being at the start of Forza Horizon 4.

Wild Challenges on Forza Horizon 4: 

During the course of Forza Horizon 4, players will be given some wild challenges to make the game more interesting. In the trailer, one such example was where a person was piloting a hovercraft alongside others in a race. At present there is not much by way of these wild challenges but at every corner there is one to keep players on their feet or in this case on their fingers.

Coming to the cars on Forza Horizon 4: 

Throughout Forza Horizon 4, players can earn skill points, which is nothing new but this time around players can use those skill points in enhancing various features in the cars that they use in the game.
So players can earn as well as spend in the game.

A realistic sound to cars on Forza Horizon 4: 

All of the sounds on Forza Horizon 4 are all realistic, with the sounds being taken from actual cars. These sounds include revving, racing through streets and more.

Playground games actually recorded these sounds for Forza Horizon 4 with the partnership of car manufacturers. Every time a new version of the game is released, newer and newer sounds are added to an already growing list.

McLaren too joined up with the gaming company and gave them a 720 and 540 to go out on to an airstrip and record sounds for the game.

Apart from these features, Forza Horizon 4 includes much more that is bound to add new challenges and aspects to the game. Xbox One and PC platforms are all set to launch Forza Horizon 4 on October 2.

Android 9 Pie (Go edition): New Features and More Options This Fall

Android 9 Pie (Go edition) with new Features to unveil later this year

With the release of Android 9 Pie, the Android 9 Pie (Go edition) will be unveiled shortly. Google announced the introduction of Android 9 Pie (Go edition) as they are keen on focussing on the entry-level smartphone users. Android 9 Pie (Go edition) will be succeeding the Oreo (Go edition) which was introduced in December 2017.

With the Android 9 Pie (Go edition), there will be an additional 500MB of storage out of the box as compared to the Oreo (Go edition) and more than double that of a non-Go edition device. Security features like verified boot will see an improvement, there will be faster boot time and a dashboard to check out data consumption.

Google plans to roll out the Android 9 Pie (Go edition) later this fall, but no exact dates have been stated. Smartphones that have the Android Oreo (Go edition) will also be getting a software update towards the end of this year or early next year.

Last year we saw the introduction of Android (Go edition). The sole purpose was to give first time users and entry-level smartphone users a fast and good experience. The first batch of Android (Go edition) smartphones rolled out in April. There are more than 200 smartphones selling in more than 120 countries which include India, Nigeria, South Africa, U.S. and Brazil. They had not only improved the core operating system but also added new and useful features in various apps like YouTube Go, Google Go and many more.

There is a Go edition device for everyone and they are even selling at $30. It may vary with a HD or regular VGA display, have either 4GB or 8GB or 16 GB storage and support 3G or 4G. There are more than 100 manufacturers who are planning to sell these devices by the end of this year.

Additional Features of Android 9 Pie (Go edition) 

The Android 9 Pie (Go edition) is slated to bring in a redesigned set of Google apps basically to serve the entry-level smartphone users.These entry-level smartphones with Android 9 Pie (Go edition) will see new features that include

An additional 500MB storage out of the box.

The boot time will be faster.

A dashboard to help monitor and track data consumption.

Improved security features like verified boot.

The Android 9 Pie (Go edition) will have lesser preloaded apps and new apps that are lighter. It will come with a built-in security feature and offline app install scans.

According to Sagar Kamdar, Director of Product Management, Android, these new features of Android 9 Pie (Go edition) will take care of most of the problems entry-level or first- time users experience. It could either be security issues, device performance, managing data or storage.

Google had updated the YouTube Go app with a .yt file extension wherein the users with Android Oreo (Go edition) could save YouTube offline videos to their Gallery. There was an update of the webpage voice dictation and also a new navigation for Google Maps Go extension app.

Google One with Cheaper Plans, Extra Benefits in US

Google had recently held the Google One cloud storage packages premiere in USA. Google One is a new name for storage packages that Google users can subscribe for. The Google One storage plan is open for individuals and small business alike. However the Google Drive platform still remains unchanged.

Prices range from everything in between $1.99 to $9.99 for various amounts of storage. Most people have a lot of storage when it comes down to it. You can store your music on Google Play Music which is soon to be called YouTube Music. You can store your pictures for free if they’re not above 13MP and wouldn’t you rather surf for videos on Netflix or YouTube rather than spend money on buying a storage plan. When you’ve taken into account videos, photos and music, there’s really not that much else to be stored is there?

Prices for Google One: 

 

The Google One storage platform starts from $1.99 a month for 100 GB of data with tiers for $2.99 per month for 200 GB and $9.99 per month for 2TB of data on Google One as compared to 1 TB in Google Drive. I don’t know about you, but 2 TB of data is more than anyone needs.

If this is still not that good enough, then there are larger packages with a larger price tag as well. These packages are much like Google Drive.

Google One- a Family Pack: 

The Google One package can be used for storage by the whole family too. That is up to five family members.

As a member of Google One packages, there will be incentives like certain discounts in the Google Store and so forth. But at present there’s not much to that and it maybe not that great of an incentive too.

What’s Free on Google One? 

The same 15 GB of data space is there, which is split across all tiers like photos, videos and Gmail, which most seemed to forget come under the 15 GB free bracket.

After a while that 15 GB of free space too seems to be limited and if you’ve started using Gmail form the beginning then somewhere about now you’ll be finding your space getting smaller.

Are you on the Google One plan? 

If you’re already a Google Drive user and are residing in the US then you automatically come under the Google One plan.

On the other hand if you’re a new subscriber to Google, then you’ll be signed up on a new Google One account.

If you’re not a US Resident: 

Google One is only available in the US as of now, but will shortly roll out to other countries as well. If you’ve paid for a Google Drive storage plan, then no worries you won’t loose out on what you’ve paid for but will be automatically transferred to the Google One storage plan as soon as it rolls out to your country of residence.

In a few months, Google plans on rolling out Google One to other countries as well.