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Many decisions are being made by neural networks. But are they rational and fair? Methods to ensure this are being developed at TU Wien. Many decisions that were previously made by humans will be left to machines in the future. But can we really rely on the decisions made by artificial intelligence? In sensitive areas, people would like a guarantee that the decision is actually sensible, or at least that certain serious errors have been ruled out.

TU Wien (Vienna) has patented a completely new method of dampening vibrations. This is an important step for precision devices such as high-performance astronomical telescopes. When everything shakes, precision is usually impossible - everybody who has ever tried to take a photo with shaky hands or make handwritten notes on a bumpy bus journey knows that.

Researchers from TU Wien (Vienna, Austria) and Tsinghua University (Beijing, China) have created an extremely exotic state of matter. Its atoms have a diameter a hundred times larger than usual. A crystal is an arrangement of atoms that repeats itself in space, in regular intervals: At every point, the crystal looks exactly the same.

Is nature really as strange as quantum theory says - or are there simpler explanations? Neutron measurements at TU Wien prove: It doesn't work without the strange properties of quantum theory. Can a particle be in two different places at the same time? In quantum physics, it can: Quantum theory allows objects to be in different states at the same time - or more precisely: in a superposition state, combining different observable states.

Normally, thermal radiation is a product of randomness, described by the laws of statistical physics. TU Wien and the University of Manchester show that it can also be controlled. When a piece of metal is made to glow, its colour depends solely on its temperature. The material, the geometry, the structure of its surface - none of these details matters.

Waves carry information about their surroundings. An exact theory has now been developed at TU Wien - with astonishing results that can be used for technical purposes. No matter whether ultrasound is used to study the body, radar systems to study airspace or seismic waves to study the interior of our planet: You are always dealing with waves that are deflected, scattered or reflected by their surroundings.

Slow electrons are used in cancer therapy as well as in microelectronics. It is very hard to observe how they behave in solids. But scientists at TU Wien have made this possible. Electrons can behave very differently depending on how much energy they have. Whether you shoot an electron with high or low energy into a solid body determines which effects can be triggered.

Special thorium-containing crystals, developed over many years at TU Wien, were crucial in tracking down the long-sought thorium transition. Emerald, ruby, amethyst and many other gemstones have one thing in common: they consist of a perfectly regular crystal structure into which foreign atoms are incorporated in low concentrations.

The "thorium transition", which physicists have been looking for for decades, has now been excited for the first time with lasers. This paves the way for revolutionary high precision technologies, including nuclear clocks. Physicists have been hoping for this moment for a long time: for many years, scientists all'around the world have been searching for a very specific state of thorium atomic nuclei that promises revolutionary technological applications.

Dyes, such as those used in the textile industry, are a major environmental problem. At TU Wien, efficient filters have now been developed - based on cellulose waste. Using waste to purify water may sound counterintuitive. But at TU Wien, this is exactly what has now been achieved: a special nanostructure has been developed to filter a widespread class of harmful dyes from water.

In the COSINUS research project, an international team involving TU Wien and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) is searching for evidence of dark matter. The large-scale experiment is now starting in Italy . How can we understand dark matter? It probably makes up around 85% of the mass in the universe, but what it is and what it consists of is still one of the biggest and most difficult questions in modern physics.

Researchers have discovered how sloshing movements can be actively suppressed during the highly dynamic transportation of liquids . In highly automated industrial processes, machines, materials and goods are often moved very quickly. It is important that these movements are carried out precisely and safely.

More stable quantum experiments are made possible at TU Wien with new tricks - by ingeniously splitting Bose-Einstein condensates. Quantum experiments always have to deal with the same problem, regardless of whether they involve quantum computers, quantum teleportation or new types of quantum sensors: quantum effects break down very easily.

A breakthrough in catalysis research leads to a new wall paint that cleans itself when exposed to sunlight and chemically breaks down air pollutants. Typically, beautiful white wall paint does not stay beautiful and white forever. Often, various substances from the air accumulate on its surface. This can be a desired effect because it makes the air cleaner for a while - but over time, the colour changes and needs to be renewed.

Important data, such as a Bitcoin wallet address, can be stored and concealed quite easily in ordinary plastic using 3D printers and terahertz radiation, scientists at TU Wien show. There are many ways to store data - digitally, on a hard disk, or using analogue storage technology, for example as a hologram.

A new spectroscopy method has been developed at TU Wien: Using a series of laser pusles, chemical analyses can be carried out much faster and more precisely than before. Whether you want to analyze environmental samples in nature or monitor a chemical experiment, you often need highly sensitive sensors that can "sniff out" even tiny traces of a certain gas with extreme accuracy.

The ÖAW and TU Vienna were able to show during a parabolic flight: A change in gravity has no influence on quantum experiments . A team from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Vienna University of Technology was able to prove this during a flight with the European Space Agency: Quantum entanglement also works when the strength of gravity changes.

It is an important step forward in spintronics: the magnetic state of certain materials can be switched using surface induced strain. All our electronics are based on electrical charges being transported from one place to another. Electrons move, current flows, signals are transmitted by applying an electrical voltage.

A new approach to producing artificial tissue has been developed at TU Wien: Cells are grown in microstructures created in a 3D printer. Is it possible to grow tissue in the laboratory, for example to replace injured cartilage? At TU Wien (Vienna), an important step has now been taken towards creating replacement tissue in the lab - using a technique that differs significantly from other methods used around the world.

Feldspar is very common in rocks. As atmospheric dust, this mineral contributes efficiently to cloud formation. Researchers at TU Wien have now discovered what happens during this process. Feldspar is a ubiquitous mineral and makes up about half of the Earth's crust. In the Earth's atmosphere, feldspars play a surprisingly important role.