An international team of researchers, which included Russian, Chinese and American physicists, reported the receipt of new structural forms of carbon, for many physical properties located between graphite and diamond, and the hardness - even approaching the diamond.

The results of studies and projections, the authors reported online journal Nature.com (Carbon that cracks diamond).

The authors described a new form of carbon-M (M-carbon), because its crystal structure corresponds to monoclinic Syngony - one of the seven main crystallographic forms. M-carbon was obtained by compression of graphite into diamond grip with a force of 130 thousand atmospheres without heating. When reducing the pressure of the M-carbon can move into other forms.

Through the development of new scientists of National Institute of Standards and Technology (National Institute of Standards and Technology - NIST) United States, which used a nanoscale coating of directional radiation power meter, laser power calibration system will be faster, easier and more accurate.

The results of the development are published in the journal Optics Letters (Black optical coating for high-power Laser measurements from carbon nanotubes and silicate).

The new power meter, the last full test at the U.S. Air Force Base, will be used to measure radiation 10 kilowatt laser systems. Focused laser radiation of 10 kW more than a million times stronger than the solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface. To date, the power meter NIST, just as lasers, the power which they were intended to measure, are not portable and funtsionirovali very slowly. The new power meter - much smaller - about the size of the pot cooker. The new design facilitates the process of measuring device.

The imperfections of artificial nanometer objects, such as quantum dots, supports the vision of the use of standard natural objects such as atoms and molecules

Recently, researchers from the University of Manchester (United Kingdom) [1] drew attention to the special spin molecular clusters containing a single nickel ion Ni 2 + ions and seven of chromium Cr 3 +. The main condition of such clusters with the spin S = 1 / 2 and can be used as spin qubits. Measuring time dekogerentizatsii technique using electron spin resonance (ESR) has a very long time. This in itself is, of course, delighted but it was necessary to show that during this time you can perform a large number of quantum operations, including management of the state of individual qubits, as well as the operations between two qubits.

Fig. 1. Two spin cluster related element that contains one copper ion Cu 2 + (a) and two copper ions (b)