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2 dead, 34 injured in road crashes in Philippines over weekend
MANILA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Two people died and 34 others were hurt in two separate road crashes in the Philippines over the weekend, local authorities said Sunday. A municipal disaster prevention official said a female bus collector was killed after a passenger bus rammed into a trailer truck parked on the roadside in a town in Davao de Oro province in the southern Philippines around 4 a.m. local time on Sunda.....»»
Perfect practice for Paris
It played out like a script. Olympic qualifier Eumir Marcial treated a cheering hometown crowd to a spectacular knockout win over Thailand’s Thoedsak Sinam, celebrated a sentimental homecoming and provided a preview of what to expect in Paris before a star-studded audience that included WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium last Saturday night......»»
2 dead, 34 injured in road crashes in Philippines over weekend
MANILA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Two people died and 34 others were hurt in two separate road crashes in the Philippines over the weekend, local authorities said Sunday. A municipal disaster prevention official said a female bus collector was killed after a passenger bus rammed into a trailer truck parked on the roadside in a town in Davao de Oro province in the southern Philippines around 4 a.m. local time on Sunda.....»»
‘Practice Energy efficiency’
In a message in observance of Earth Hour yesterday, President Marcos called on Filipinos to practice energy efficiency as the Philippines grapples with the challenges posed by climate change and El Niño......»»
Bill seeks review of rules on reckless imprudence
The country’s road safety laws must be reviewed to address the liability of drivers in cases of traffic violations and accidents, a lawmaker from Bukidnon said yesterday, citing the high number of vehicular crashes in Metro Manila......»»
Ex-Austrian leader convicted of ‘lying’
Ex-Austrian leader convicted of ‘lying’.....»»
Austrian bikers group holds dental mission in Marigondon
Austrian bikers group holds dental mission in Marigondon.....»»
On sonic symphony and heartfelt honors
The Johann Strauss Society of the Philippines (JSSP), led by chairman Monaco consul general Dr. Fortune Ledesma and president Olga Martel, hosted a mesmerizing dinner event in cooperation with the Austrian Embassy Manila at the ambassador’s residence, featuring the musical prowess of Isabela Samson Madero, ARSM......»»
Austrian pair rules world beach volley
Austria's Robin Seidl and Moritz Pristauz dominated the men's division of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge, defeating Australia's Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert with a score of 21-18, 21-16. The Austrian pair, ranked 27th in the world, had an impressive run, only dropping a single set in six games. They will now head to the grand finals in Doha, Qatar. Pristauz contributed 15 points, while Seidl scored 13 points, leading the Austrians to their third medal in the Pro Tour. In the quarterfinals, they suffered their only set defeat against Portugal's Joao Pedrosa and Hugo Campos. However, they bounced back and easily defeated England's Javier and Joaquin Bello in the semifinals. Hodges and Schubert finished in second place, while Lithuania's Patrikas Stankevicius and Audrius Knasas took third. In the women's tournament, Latvia's Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina emerged as champions, defeating Spain's Daniela Alvarez Mendoza and Tania Moreno Matveeva. Brazil's Taina Silvi Bigi and Victoria Lopes Pereira Tosta.....»»
Google, Meta win court fight against Austrian online content rule
The firms win based on an EU rule that online service providers are only subject to the rules of the country where they have an established corporate entity, which is Ireland in their case.....»»
Vlad the Impaler steps out of Dracula’s shadow
Cloaked in a black cape like the infamous count himself, 10-year-old Niklas Schuetz runs through the dark corridors of a hilltop castle in search of the truth about Dracula. "He was a Romanian prince, not a vampire," said the schoolboy, as he tripped by torchlight through the nocturnal gloom of Forchtenstein Castle. The group is guided through the Austrian fortress and is eager to sink their teeth into the gripping life of Vlad Tepes, the notorious "Vlad the Impaler", whose descendants once held the Schloss. The castle is home to one of the few paintings of the cruel 15th-century prince, and this Halloween its curators are trying to bring the real historical figure out from the chilling shadow of the monster invented by the Irish writer Bram Stoker. Rather than being a ghoulish fiend, the real Vlad Tepes had for a "long time gone down in history as a positive figure" who courageously fought the Ottoman Turks, said the director of its collections, Florian Bayer. "More and more people are able to distinguish between the bloodsucking vampire and the historical figure," he said. Voivode Vlad III -- also known by his patronymic name Dracula derived from the Slavonic word for dragon -- once ruled over Wallachia, a Romanian-speaking vassal state of the Kingdom of Hungary. 'Forest' of the impaled Held as a child hostage of the sultan at the Ottoman court, he later turned against his former captors. In several hard-fought campaigns against the Turks, he struck fear into his enemies by impaling thousands of Turkish prisoners. This gruesomely slow death was also used against his internal rivals, like "the German merchants from neighbouring Transylvanian towns," historian Dan Ioan Muresan told AFP. Tepes was often depicted amidst a "forest" of impaled bodies. Yet despite his gory reputation, Vlad was a handsome devil and something of a ladykiller, according to Muresan. He was a "very handsome man with an imposing build", with long hair flowing over his Turkish-style kaftans adorned with diamonds. By marrying a cousin of the Hungarian king, he "gave rise to a branch from which the British royal family descends," the historian added. Indeed Britain's King Charles III has repeatedly boasted of their shared blood ties, saying that Transylvania runs through his veins. Communist marketing The gothic novel by Stoker published in 1897 helped kickstart the modern vampire genre. Dozens of films later, the fictional Dracula had transformed into a pop culture icon. "Until the 1960s, Romanians didn't associate the character imagined by Stoker with Vlad Tepes," said Bogdan Popovici, head of the national archives in the Transylvanian city of Brasov, home to some of the prince's manuscripts. "It was the Communists who started to commercialize it for the Western market to attract tourists," he said. While cashing in on selling the vampire myth to visitors, the regime of Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu sought to resurrect Vlad as a national hero. Paradoxically, the Communist regime was careful in differentiating the real Dracula from its fictitious counterpart as it pursued its mission to wipe out pagan traditions. Tears of blood "Romanians have never recognized themselves in the character, which was born out of a foreign imagination and planted into an exotic reality," said Muresan. "It is being exploited as a kind of tourist trap," he said. The real Vlad never set foot in Romania's Bran Castle -- widely taken as the inspiration for the lair of Dracula -- but it hasn't stopped it from drawing visitors in their droves. Murdered by his own people in 1476 in the wake of a conspiracy, experts dispute the whereabouts of his remains to this day, with some claiming that his head was sent to the sultan in Constantinople to confirm his death. A recent Italian scientific study based on the analysis of the prince's handwritten letters found that Vlad probably suffered from haemolacria, indicating that he could shed tears of blood. The creepy detail is undoubtedly enough to keep the Dracula myth alive for some time yet. The post Vlad the Impaler steps out of Dracula’s shadow appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DMW aims to deploy skilled Filipino workers in Austria
The Department of Migrant Workers announced on Wednesday its goal to deploy Filipino to Austria during the signing of an agreement governing the recruitment of Filipino professionals and skilled workers in the healthcare, information technology, tourism and hospitality sectors. The memorandum of understanding was led by DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac and State Secretary Susanne Kraus-Winkler of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Labor and Economy. The signed MoA will provide employment opportunities for Filipinos while addressing Austria’s shortage of skilled workers. “Through this agreement, we aim to facilitate the deployment of Filipino professionals and skilled workers to Austria in a manner that is safe, ethical, sustainable and mutually beneficial. Our workers, in return, will contribute to addressing labor shortage in Austria and to sharing their expertise and commitment to the economic development of Austria,” Cacdac said. According to Kraus-Winkler, Austria had excellent experience with qualified workers from the Philippines. “Austria is focusing on attracting skilled workers abroad. The Philippines is the first country which Austria has entered into a memorandum of understanding with that covers all areas of mutual cooperation on recruitment and vocational training. Austria has many decades of excellent experience with qualified workers from the Philippines, and we are truly grateful for the reliable support,” Kraus-Winkler said. The post DMW aims to deploy skilled Filipino workers in Austria appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DMW aims to deploy skilled workers in Austria
The Department of Migrant Workers announced on Wednesday its goal to deploy Filipinos to Austria during the signing of an agreement governing the recruitment of Filipino professionals and skilled workers in the healthcare, information technology, tourism, and hospitality sectors. The Memorandum of Understanding was led by DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac and State Secretary Susanne Kraus-Winkler of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Labor and Economy (BMAW). The signed MOA will provide employment opportunities for Filipinos while addressing Austria’s shortage of skilled workers. “Through this agreement, we aim to facilitate the deployment of Filipino professionals and skilled workers to Austria in a manner that is safe, ethical, sustainable, and mutually beneficial. Our workers, in return, will contribute to addressing the labor shortage in Austria and to sharing their expertise and commitment to the economic development of Austria,” Cacdac said. According to Kraus-Winkler, Austria had an excellent experience with qualified workers from the Philippines. “Austria is focusing on attracting skilled workers abroad. The Philippines is the first country which Austria has entered into a memorandum of understanding with that covers all areas of mutual cooperation on recruitment and vocational training. Austria has many decades of excellent experience with qualified workers from the Philippines, and we are truly grateful for the reliable support,” Kraus-Winkler said. Cacdac added the partnership reaffirms the long-standing friendship, cooperation, and mutual respect between the Philippines and Austria, particularly in the field of labor and employment. Under the agreement around 500 Filipino workers will be deployed annually to meet Austria’s demand of around 75,000 to 200,000 job openings across all industries, including sectors of healthcare, construction and engineering, information technology, and tourism and hospitality. The MOU guarantees heightened protection of the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers, as well as assistance while they undergo skills assessment, education, and equivalence training and licensing in Austria.The DMW and BMAW also committed to developing a framework for work-based vocational training and other measures to increase technical capacity to upgrade the skills and expertise of Filipino workers. Both countries vowed to combat illegal recruitment and human trafficking as well as ensure adequate access to legal assistance and social protection for OFWs. The post DMW aims to deploy skilled workers in Austria appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BI officer gets 9 years for graft, cybercrime
Bureau of Immigration officer Marcos Nicodemus has been found guilty of cybercrime and graft charges for falsifying the travel records of Jan Marsalek, an Austrian wanted by the German government over his alleged involvement in the $2.2-billion Wirecard fraud scandal......»»
Immigration officer convicted
The National Bureau of Investigation yesterday revealed that a Bureau of Immigration officer has been convicted for the falsification of travel records showing that former Wirecard chief operating officer Jan Marsalek was in the Philippines even if he did not arrive and leave the country in 2020. The NBI said BI officer Marcos S. Nicodemus has been found guilty by the Pasay City Regional Trial Court of violations of Republic Act 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, and RA 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Though the RTC decision was not provided by the NBI, it said that Nicodemus “was sentenced by the court to a maximum imprisonment of nine years for each of the criminal cases with perpetual disqualification to hold public office.” Marsalek, an Austrian national, has been wanted by the German government for his involvement in the $2.2 billion Wirecard fraud. In 2020, the Philippine government joined the hunt for Marsalek due to Wirecard’s links in the country and discovered travel records that showed that the Austrian came to the Philippines in 2020. Then Department of Justice Secretary and now Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra ordered the NBI to conduct an investigation. In August 2020, the NBI “recommended to the DoJ the prosecution of subject Marcos Nicodemus for falsifying the travel records of an Austrian national.” “Investigation conducted by NBI-IAID (NBI-International Airport Investigation Division) revealed that based on Marsalek’s travel records, he arrived in the Philippines through NAIA Terminal 1 on 23 June 2020, processed by Immigration Officer Darren Ilagan but with a mysterious ‘canceled by user’ remark and departure on 24 June 2020 at Mactan-Cebu International Airport processed by Immigration Officer Perry Michael Pancho,” the NBI said. “However, NBI-IAID discovered thru CCTV (closed circuit television) footages that Marsalek never entered the Philippines and he did not even depart through MCIA,” the NBI said. The records of Marsalek were found to be spurious due to the following: Existing immigrations protocol as of that date disallowing passengers from entering Philippine territory due to Covid situation; absence of actual scanned data page of the passport; existing protocol that incoming flights of airlines disallowing the boarding of a passenger who will be prevented entry based on the destination country’s protocol as of flight date. The NBI said that Ilagan testified that Nicodemus, who was his supervisor, “ordered him to conduct a derogatory check upon Marsalek despite the fact that he was already not on duty on that date and that Marsalek is not present during checking.” Guevarra in 2020, said that the travel records of the Marsalek were falsified possibly as “diversionary tactics to mislead his pursuers.” The post Immigration officer convicted appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Major airlines cancel dozens of flights to Tel Aviv
Major airlines have canceled dozens of flights to Tel Aviv this weekend after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale attack against Israel. American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and Ryanair are among those pulling flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport. However, airport authorities did not stop commercial air links with Israel's second international airport at Eilat, a tourist destination on the Red Sea. And Israeli flag carrier El Al said Sunday that it was maintaining its Tel Aviv flights for now, though some flights operated by foreign partners had been cancelled. "We might cancel flights to places where we don't have a lot of Israelis to help other Israelis in other places," a spokeswoman told AFP. In a statement, El Al added that it was operating "in accordance with the instructions of the Israeli security forces", with all flights now departing only from Terminal Three at Ben Gurion airport. Like most other airlines, it said clients could change their tickets without charge. After Saturday saw a list of major carriers cancelling flights Spain's AENA airports operator told AFP four of nine flights scheduled to Tel Aviv on Sunday had been cancelled, two from Madrid and two from Barcelona. Another nine flights, from Tel Aviv to airports in Spain, have so far been unaffected, the operator said. Spain's Air Europa said it had cancelled its two flights scheduled between Madrid and Tel Aviv, while Iberia Express, the low-cost arm of national carrier Iberia, went ahead with a Madrid-Tel Aviv flight after suspending two on Saturday. Vueling, the Barcelona-based low-cost airline, said given the situation in Israel, "flights to/from Tel Aviv are affected and experiencing delays". A spokesman for Germany's Lufthansa on Saturday cited "the current security situation" to say it was cancelling all flights to and from Tel Aviv "up until and including Monday", adding it was monitoring the situation. Brussels Airlines, part of the Lufthansa group, also cancelled its Tel Aviv flights. Air France said it had halted Tel Aviv flights "until further notice", and the Air France-KLM group's low-cost carrier Transavia said it was cancelling all flights from Paris and Lyon to Tel Aviv up to and including Monday. Spanish airline Iberia announced that its budget subsidiary Iberia Express was cancelling its Tel Aviv flights. Italy's flag-carrier ITA airways cancelled its flight until Sunday morning at the earliest "to protect the safety of passengers and crew", while Polish carrier LOT also cancelled its flights from the Polish capital on Saturday. Other airlines suspending flights included Aegean, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Wizz Air and Air Canada. The post Major airlines cancel dozens of flights to Tel Aviv appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
What are attoseconds? Nobel-winning physics explained
The Nobel Physics Prize was awarded on Tuesday to three scientists for their work on attoseconds, which are almost unimaginably short periods of time. Their work using lasers gives scientists a tool to observe and possibly even manipulate electrons, which could spur breakthroughs in fields such as electronics and chemistry, experts told AFP. How fast are attoseconds? Attoseconds are a billionth of a billionth of a second. To give a little perspective, there are around as many attoseconds in a single second as there have been seconds in the 13.8-billion-year history of the universe. Hans Jakob Woerner, a researcher at the Swiss university ETH Zurich, told AFP that attoseconds are "the shortest timescales we can measure directly". Why do we need such speed? Being able to operate on this timescale is important because these are the speeds at which electrons -- key parts of an atom -- operate. For example, it takes electrons 150 attoseconds to go around the nucleus of a hydrogen atom. This means the study of attoseconds has given scientists access to a fundamental process that was previously out of reach. All electronics are mediated by the motion of electrons -- and the current "speed limit" is nanoseconds, Woerner said. If microprocessors were switched to attoseconds, it could be possible to "process information a billion times faster," he added. How do you measure them? Franco-Swede physicist Anne L'Huillier, one of the three new Nobel laureates, was the first to discover a tool to pry open the world of attoseconds. It involves using high-powered lasers to produce pulses of light for incredibly short periods. Franck Lepine, a researcher at France's Institute of Light and Matter who has worked with L'Huillier, told AFP it was like "cinema created for electrons". He compared it to the work of pioneering French filmmakers the Lumiere brothers, "who cut up a scene by taking successive photos". John Tisch, a laser physics professor at Imperial College London, said that it was "like an incredibly fast, pulse-of-light device that we can then shine on materials to get information about their response on that timescale". How low can we go? All three of Tuesday's laureates at one point held the record for shortest pulse of light. In 2001, French scientist Pierre Agostini's team managed to flash a pulse that lasted just 250 attoseconds. L'Huillier's group beat that with 170 attoseconds in 2003. In 2008, Hungarian-Austrian physicist Ferenc Krausz more than halved that number with an 80-attosecond pulse. The current holder of the Guinness World Record for "shortest pulse of light" is Woerner's team, with a time of 43 attoseconds. The time could go as low as a few attoseconds using current technology, Woerner estimated. But he added that this would be pushing it. What could the future hold? Technology taking advantage of attoseconds has largely yet to enter the mainstream, but the future looks bright, the experts said. So far, scientists have mostly only been able to use attoseconds to observe electrons. "But what is basically untouched yet -- or is just really beginning to be possible -- is to control" the electrons, to manipulate their motion, Woerner said. This could lead to far faster electronics as well as potentially spark a revolution in chemistry. "We would not be limited to what molecules naturally do," but instead could "tailor them according to need," Woerner said. So-called "attochemistry" could lead to more efficient solar cells, or even the use of light energy to produce clean fuels, he added. The post What are attoseconds? Nobel-winning physics explained appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trio wins physics Nobel for illuminating electrons
France's Pierre Agostini, Hungarian-Austrian Ferenc Krausz, and Franco-Swede Anne L'Huillier won the Nobel prize in physics on Tuesday for research using ultra-quick light flashes that enable the study of electrons inside atoms and molecules. Their technique employs pulses measured in attoseconds, a unit so short that there are as many in one second as there have been seconds since the universe's birth over 13 billion years ago, the jury said. The laureates' research has made it possible to examine moves or changes so rapidly that they were previously impossible to follow, with potential applications in both electronics and medical diagnostics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences likened the process to how the flapping wings of a hummingbird turn into a blur for the human eye but can be slowed and examined using high-speed photography. "We can now open the door to the world of electrons. Attosecond physics gives us the opportunity to understand mechanisms that are governed by electrons," Eva Olsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said in a statement. 'Not so many women' In 1987, L'Huillier "discovered that many different overtones of light arose when she transmitted infrared laser light through a noble gas," the Nobel Committee noted, adding that her exploration of the phenomenon laid "the ground for subsequent breakthroughs". In the early 2000s, Agostini and Krausz worked on how to isolate light pulses that lasted only a few hundred attoseconds. Agostini is a professor at Ohio State University in the United States, while Krausz is a director at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. "It was just atomic physics interacting with lasers," Agostini said of his early work, in an interview released by his university. "We were not really aware it would go that far, but a lot of people were interested both in the method and the result." L'Huillier, only the fifth woman to be awarded the Physics Prize since 1901, is a professor at Lund University in Sweden. She told reporters she was in the middle of teaching a class when she received the call from the Academy, making it "difficult" to finish the class, to whom she did not reveal the news. "I am very touched ... There are not so many women that get this prize so it's very, very special," she said. Before L'Huillier, Marie Curie (1903), Maria Goeppert Mayer (1963), Donna Strickland (2018), and Andrea Ghez (2020) were the only women to have won the award. Speaking later at a press conference, she encouraged young women interested in science to "go for it" and said it was possible to combine a research career with an "ordinary life, with a family and children." French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated the trio. "What a source of pride for our nation!" Macron said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter. L'Huillier and Krausz had been seen as contenders for the honor, having been awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize last year together with Canadian physicist Paul Corkum. Fellow Hungarian However, Krausz said he had not been expecting a call. "I was not sure whether I was dreaming or whether it was reality," he told the Nobel Foundation in an interview. The physics award is the second Nobel of the season after the Medicine Prize on Monday, awarded to messenger RNA researchers Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their groundbreaking technology that paved the way for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Krausz said he had actually been listening to an interview with Kariko when he received the call, adding he was especially impressed with her determination as she toiled away at her research despite struggling to achieve recognition and secure funding for it. "That's what I would like to convey to future generations," Krausz said. The Physics Prize will be followed by the Chemistry Prize on Wednesday, with the highly watched Literature and Peace Prizes to be announced on Thursday and Friday. The Economics Prize -- created in 1968 and the only Nobel not included in the 1895 will of Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel, which founded the awards -- closes out the 2023 Nobel season on Monday. The post Trio wins physics Nobel for illuminating electrons appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trio wins physics Nobel for illuminating electrons
France's Pierre Agostini, Hungarian-Austrian Ferenc Krausz and Franco-Swede Anne L'Huillier won the Nobel prize in physics on Tuesday for research using ultra quick light flashes that enable the study of electrons inside atoms and molecules. Their technique employs pulses measured in attoseconds, a unit so short that there are as many in one second as there have been seconds since the universe's birth over 13 billion years ago, the jury said. The laureates' research has made it possible to examine moves or changes so rapid that they were previously impossible to follow, with potential applications in both electronics and medical diagnostics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences likened the process to how the flapping wings of a humming bird turn into a blur for the human eye, but can be slowed and examined using high-speed photography. "We can now open the door to the world of electrons. Attosecond physics gives us the opportunity to understand mechanisms that are governed by electrons," Eva Olsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said in a statement. 'Not so many women' In 1987, L'Huillier "discovered that many different overtones of light arose when she transmitted infrared laser light through a noble gas," the Nobel Committee noted, adding that she has continued to explore this phenomenon, "laying the ground for subsequent breakthroughs". In the early 2000s, Agostini and Krausz worked on experiments that made it possible to isolate light pulses that lasted only a few hundred attoseconds. Agostini is a professor at Ohio State University in the United States, while Krausz is a director at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. L'Huillier, only the fifth woman to be awarded the Physics Prize since 1901, is a professor at Lund University in Sweden. L'Huillier told reporters she was in the middle of teaching a class when she received the call from the Academy, making it "difficult" to finish the class, to whom she told nothing. "I am very touched ... There are not so many women that get this prize so it's very, very special," she said. Before L'Huillier, Marie Curie (1903), Maria Goeppert Mayer (1963), Donna Strickland (2018) and Andrea Ghez (2020) are the only women to have won the award. Speaking later at a press conference, she encouraged young women interested in a career in science to "go for it". The laureate, who is married and has two sons, stressed it was possible to combine a research career with an "ordinary life, with a family and children." French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated the trio, noting that "two of our brilliant French researchers" had been honoured. "What a source of pride for our nation!" Macron said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter. L'Huillier and Krausz had been seen as contenders for the honour, having been awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize last year together with Canadian physicist Paul Corkum. Fellow Hungarian However, Krausz said he had not been expecting a call. "I was not sure whether I was dreaming or whether it was reality," he told the Nobel Foundation in an interview. Speaking at a press conference a few hours later, he said: "There are signs that it could be reality". The physics award is the second Nobel of the season after the Medicine Prize on Monday, awarded to messenger RNA researchers Katalin Kariko, a Hungarian like Krausz, and Drew Weissman for their groundbreaking technology that paved the way for mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. Krausz said he had actually been listening to an interview with his compatriot when he received the call, adding he was especially impressed with Kariko's determination as she toiled away at her research despite struggling to achieve recognition and even secure funding for it. "That's the most important lesson for me, that's what I would like to convey to future generations, that if you believe in something and are convinced it's the right thing to do ... the important thing is to keep believing in it," Krausz said. The Physics Prize will be followed by the Chemistry Prize on Wednesday, with the highly watched Literature and Peace Prizes to be announced on Thursday and Friday. The Economics Prize -- created in 1968 and the only Nobel not included in the 1895 will of Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel, which founded the awards -- closes out the 2023 Nobel season on Monday. The post Trio wins physics Nobel for illuminating electrons appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
What are attoseconds? Nobel-winning physics explained
The Nobel Physics Prize was awarded on Tuesday to three scientists for their work on attoseconds, which are almost unimaginably short periods of time. Their work using lasers gives scientists a tool to observe and possibly even manipulate electrons, which could spur breakthroughs in fields such as electronics and chemistry, experts told AFP. How fast are attoseconds? Attoseconds are a billionth of a billionth of a second. To give a little perspective, there are around as many attoseconds in a single second as there have been seconds in the 13.8-billion year history of the universe. Hans Jakob Woerner, a researcher at the Swiss university ETH Zurich, told AFP that attoseconds are "the shortest timescales we can measure directly". Why do we need such speed? Being able to operate on this timescale is important because these are the speeds at which electrons -- key parts of an atom -- operate. For example, it takes electrons 150 attoseconds to go around the nucleus of a hydrogen atom. This means the study of attoseconds has given scientists access to a fundamental process that was previously out of reach. All electronics are mediated by the motion of electrons -- and the current "speed limit" is nanoseconds, Woerner said. If microprocessors were switched to attoseconds, it could be possible to "process information a billion times faster," he added. How do you measure them? Franco-Swede physicist Anne L'Huillier, one of the three new Nobel laureates, was the first to discover a tool to pry open the world of attoseconds. It involves using high-powered lasers to produce pulses of light for incredibly short periods. Franck Lepine, a researcher at France's Institute of Light and Matter who has worked with L'Huillier, told AFP it was like "cinema created for electrons". He compared it to the work of pioneering French filmmakers the Lumiere brothers, "who cut up a scene by taking successive photos". John Tisch, a laser physics professor at Imperial College London, said that it was "like an incredibly fast, pulse-of-light device that we can then shine on materials to get information about their response on that timescale". How low can we go? All three of Tuesday's laureates at one point held the record for shortest pulse of light. In 2001, French scientist Pierre Agostini's team managed to flash a pulse that lasted just 250 attoseconds. L'Huillier's group beat that with 170 attoseconds in 2003. In 2008, Hungarian-Austrian physicist Ferenc Krausz more than halved that number with an 80-attosecond pulse. The current holder of the Guinness World Record for "shortest pulse of light" is Woerner's team, with a time of 43 attoseconds. The time could go as low as a few attoseconds using current technology, Woerner estimated. But he added that this would be pushing it. What could the future hold? Technology taking advantage of attoseconds has largely yet to enter the mainstream, but the future looks bright, the experts said. So far, scientists have mostly only been able to use attoseconds to observe electrons. "But what is basically untouched yet -- or is just really beginning to be possible -- is to control" the electrons, to manipulate their motion, Woerner said. This could lead to far faster electronics as well as potentially spark a revolution in chemistry. "We would not be limited to what molecules naturally do," but instead could "tailor them according to need," Woerner said. So-called "attochemistry" could lead to more efficient solar cells, or even the use of light energy to produce clean fuels, he added. The post What are attoseconds? Nobel-winning physics explained appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»