Other topics:
Emergence
Strings
Gravity and Cosmology
Condensed Matter Physics
Nanoscience
Quantum Mechanics
Elementary Particles
Quantum Fluids
NANOSCIENCE
In recent years tools have been developed that allow us to observe and manipulate matter at the atomic scale, and even to build 'nanostructures' at this scale. This has encouraged speculation that a whole new 'nanotechnology' is about to open up, with unprecedented power. Nanoscience is actually still quite young, but direct restructuring of molecules (including DNA molecules), and fabrication of artificial new molecules (like 'nanotubes') is now a regular occurrence. In the same way it is now easily possible to build artificial conducting nanostructures, with potential use in a future electronics industry. In this way the continued miniaturisation of electronic components is likely to lead to quite incredible increases in the power of information processing and computing systems.
Most of the ideas in current nanoscience are simply
adaptations of what has gone before. What is less
clear, but much more exciting, is what kinds of new
technology may be possible if the full resources of
quantum mechanics are used.
Suggestions for such 'quantum devices' range from
fantastically sensitive detection systems, to quantum
computers having exponentially greater power than any
possible conventional classical computer. Some of these
exotic devices have even been built- for example,
quantum teleportation of information has already been
achieved over many km in distance.
Not everyone is happy with the pace of developments here- the sudden arrival of really powerful information processing and telecommunication systems is merely a small taste of what is to come, and so we may expect major social changes arising from future nanoscience. The possible misuse of nanotechnology has also been an increasing source of worry.
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