Diamond News Archives

Scientists from Imperial College London and UCL used a synthetic diamond grown in a nitrogen-rich atmosphere to create a new maser that operates continuously.

A maser (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) is the older, microwave frequency sibling of the laser. It was invented in 1954 and has traditionally been used in deep space communication and radio astronomy.

However, early versions of the maser had to be cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero (-273°C) to be able to function and even though in 2012 researchers were able to demonstrate that a maser could operate at room temperature using the organic molecule pentacene, the system produced only short bursts of maser radiation that lasted less than one thousandth of a second.

But with the new additions, carbon atoms were ‘knocked out’ from the diamond using a high energy electron beam, creating spaces known as ‘vacancies.’ A press release by Imperial explains that the diamond was then heated, which allowed nitrogen atoms and carbon vacancies to pair up, forming a type of defect known as a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect centre.

When placed inside a ring of sapphire to concentrate the microwave energy and illuminated by green laser light, the maser worked at room temperature and continuously.

“This breakthrough paves the way for the widespread adoption of masers and opens the door for a wide array of applications that we are keen to explore," said lead researcher Jonathan Breeze in the media statement.

According to Breeze and his team, such applications could range from medical imaging and airport security scanning, to improvements in sensors to remotely detect bombs. Masers, they say, could also be used to develop new technology for quantum computers and space communication methods to potentially find life on other planets.

The post Diamonds and sapphires allow masers to operate continuously appeared first on MINING.com....

(IDEX Online) – Stornoway Diamond Corp reported net loss of $114.6 million from net income of $19.6 million in 2016 in its financial year ended December 31, 2017.<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>

Its results reflected "a lower diamond price environment than was originally forecast by the Corporation".

Net income before impairment was $11.1 million for the fourth quarter and $15.0 million for the year.

Diamond sales of 486,633 carats were completed in the fourth quarter with gross proceeds of $52.6 million at an average price of $86 per carat ($108 per carat).

For the full year, Stornoway sold 1,701,561 carats for gross proceeds of $186.2 million at an average price of $85 per carat ($109 per carat).

Matt Manson, President and CEO, commented: “In 2017, Stornoway’s Renard diamond mine produced a strong performance in mining, carat production, processing ramp-up, and cost. It has delivered strong operating margins, with EBITDA of $85 million, despite the lower diamond pricing environment that has characterized our first year of sales. As 2017 ended, Renard had established itself as the lowest cost diamond mine in Canada, and Renard diamonds had developed a strong position in the rough diamond market.

"The first half of 2018 will see ore production transition from our starter open pit to our underground mine. Ensuring an efficient ramp-up of the underground operations is a key priority for the Renard team. At the same time, we are introducing our new ore-waste sorting circuit designed to improve the quality of our diamond production and provide future processing expansion capacity. Both of these capital projects, once completed, will define the character of the project for the next decade.” Manson continued, “Since the completion of our project fund-raising in 2014, and through four years of mine construction and operations, Stornoway has maintained a strong balance sheet and liquidity position. This will remain a priority for us in our financial management as we pass through the scheduled capital spending of 2018 and pursue the production and revenue growth potential of our business.”...