https://phys.org/physics-news/ en-us The latest news in physics, materials science, quantum physics, optics and photonics, superconductivity science and technology. Updated Daily. Superconductivity is the phenomenon by which, at sufficiently low temperatures, electric current can flow in a metal with no resistance. While certain metals are excellent superconductors, other metals cannot superconduct at all. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-noble-metals-superconductors.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Thu, 07 Nov 2024 13:30:01 EST news650208198 Since the launch of the Large Hadron Collider, there has been ongoing research there into Higgs bosons and a search for traces of physics beyond the existing model of elementary particles. Scientists working at the ATLAS detector have combined both goals: with the latest analysis it has been possible to expand our knowledge of the interactions of Higgs bosons with each other, and stronger constraints on the phenomena of "new physics" have been found. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-unknown-physics-interactions-higgs-bosons.html General Physics Thu, 07 Nov 2024 13:01:03 EST news650206859 The theory of special relativity is rife with counterintuitive and surprising effects, the most famous of which are length contraction and time dilation. If an object travels at a relative speed, which is a non-negligible fraction of the speed of light, with respect to an observer, the length of the object in the travel direction will appear shorter to the observer than it actually is in the object's rest frame. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-fluids-thicken-theory-einstein-real.html General Physics Soft Matter Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:42:30 EST news650205743 Electrons typically travel at high speeds, zipping through matter unbound. In the 1930s, physicist Eugene Wigner predicted that electrons could be coaxed into stillness at low densities and cold temperatures, forming an electron ice that would later be called the Wigner crystal. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-capture-images-quantum-phase.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:05:03 EST news650203501 The next head of Europe's CERN physics laboratory said Thursday that he favored moving forward with plans for a giant particle collider far more powerful than the collider that discovered the famous "God particle". https://phys.org/news/2024-11-giant-particle-collider-option-science.html General Physics Thu, 07 Nov 2024 09:36:43 EST news650194598 Nuclear physics theorists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have demonstrated that complex calculations run on supercomputers can accurately predict the distribution of electric charges in mesons, particles made of a quark and an antiquark. Scientists are keen to learn more about mesons—and the whole class of particles made of quarks, collectively known as hadrons—in high-energy experiments at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), a particle collider being built at Brookhaven Lab. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-meson.html General Physics Wed, 06 Nov 2024 16:38:04 EST news650133482 A trio of physicists, two with Coventry University, in the U.K., and the third with Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses, in France, has demonstrated how Earth's magnetic field may be influencing internal flow, using what they describe as a Little Earth Experiment. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-reveals-earth-magnetic-field-planet.html General Physics Soft Matter Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:55:26 EST news650127320 The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has, for the first time in the world, generated and controlled skyrmions at room temperature in two-dimensional (2D) materials. This achievement reduces power consumption compared to traditional three-dimensional (3D) systems while maximizing quantum effects, making it a core technology for the development of room-temperature quantum computers and AI semiconductors. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-skyrmions-room-temperature-2d-topological.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:04:03 EST news650117042 Supersolids are a new form of quantum matter that has only recently been demonstrated. The state of matter can be produced artificially in ultracold, dipolar quantum gases. A team led by Innsbruck physicist Francesca Ferlaino has now demonstrated a missing hallmark of superfluidity, namely the existence of quantized vortices as a system's response to rotation. They have observed tiny quantum vortices in the supersolid, which also behave differently than previously assumed. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-quantum-vortices-superfluidity-supersolid.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Wed, 06 Nov 2024 11:00:01 EST news650107556 Scientists have demonstrated a new way to use high-energy particle smashups at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility for nuclear physics research at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory—to reveal subtle details about the shapes of atomic nuclei. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-high-energy-heavy-ion.html General Physics Wed, 06 Nov 2024 11:00:01 EST news650108873 Using muon spin rotation at the Swiss Muon Source SmS, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have discovered that a quantum phenomenon known as time-reversal symmetry breaking occurs at the surface of the Kagome superconductor RbV3Sb5 at temperatures as high as 175 K. This sets a new record for the temperature at which time-reversal symmetry breaking is observed among Kagome systems. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-kagome-superconductor-temperatures.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Wed, 06 Nov 2024 04:35:37 EST news650090130 Physicists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) have investigated to which extent a piece of music can evoke expectations about its progression. They were able to determine differences in how far compositions of different composers can be anticipated. In total, the scientists quantitatively analyzed more than 550 pieces from classical and jazz music. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-bach-mozart-jazz-scientists-quantitative.html General Physics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 16:57:03 EST news650048221 Accurately modeling particle movement through fluids is crucial in fields ranging from chemical engineering to aerospace. The drag coefficient, which influences how particles settle and move in fluid environments, is a core factor in these calculations. While the behavior of spherical particles is well understood, predicting the drag coefficient of irregularly shaped particles has long been a challenge. These complexities have highlighted the need for a more sophisticated approach to model particle-fluid interactions, especially for non-spherical particles. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-future-ai-tackle-complex-particle.html General Physics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 16:03:40 EST news650045015 Nuclear fusion could be an ideal solution to mankind's energy problem, guaranteeing a virtually limitless source of power without greenhouse gas emissions. But there are still huge technological challenges to overcome before getting there, and some of them have to do with materials. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-materials-fusion-reactors.html Plasma Physics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 15:13:36 EST news650042010 In a paper published in Chaos, researchers from Sergio Arboleda University in Bogotá, Colombia, and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta used an electrophysiological computer model of the heart's electrical circuits to examine the effect of the applied voltage field in multiple fibrillation-defibrillation scenarios. They discovered far less energy is needed than is currently used in state-of-the-art defibrillation techniques. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-defibrillation-devices-electricity-optimized.html General Physics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 11:00:01 EST news650010334 New materials designed by a University of Illinois Chicago graduate student may help scientists meet one of today's biggest challenges: building superconductors that operate at normal temperatures and pressures. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-multicomponent-hydride-advance-science-superconducting.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:13:02 EST news650023979 Researchers are developing new ideas about the best ways to make lab-grown diamonds while minimizing other forms of carbon, such as soot. These diamonds aren't destined for rings and necklaces, though. These are the kinds that are needed for the computers, optics and sensors of the future. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-bright-future-diamond-electronics-sensors.html Condensed Matter Plasma Physics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:13:06 EST news650020381 Science can be difficult to explain to the public. In fact, any subfield of science can be difficult to explain to another scientist who studies in a different area. Explaining a theoretical science concept to high school students requires a new way of thinking altogether. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-human-topological-insulator-choreographed-quantum.html General Physics Quantum Physics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 08:56:37 EST news650019389 Researchers from Skoltech, the University of Warsaw, and the University of Iceland have demonstrated that by optical means it is possible to excite and stir an exciton-polariton condensate, which emits a linearly polarized light with a polarization axis following the stirring direction. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-optical-nuclear-magnetic-resonance.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:02:05 EST news650012521 Two-photon vision is a novel method with great potential for the future of ophthalmic diagnostics. Although it has many advantages, it requires improvement in key areas. International Centre for Eye Research (ICTER) scientists have taken a step forward by improving this technology and opening up new perspectives in ocular medicine. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-decipher-photon-vision.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:51:43 EST news649957890 The unique properties of baseball's famed "magic" mud have never been scientifically quantified—until now. In a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering) and School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) reveal what makes the magic mud so special. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-secrets-baseball-magic-mud-quantifies.html General Physics Soft Matter Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:00:02 EST news649949272 Radio frequency (RF) and microwave power measurements are widely used to support applications across space, defense, and communication. These precise measurements enable engineers to accurately characterize waveforms, components, circuits, and systems. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-successful-commercial-cryogenic-radio-frequency.html Quantum Physics Mon, 04 Nov 2024 14:29:02 EST news649952941 Graphene is a simple material containing only a single layer of carbon atoms, but when two sheets of it are stacked together and offset at a slight angle, this twisted bilayer material produces numerous intriguing effects, notably superconductivity. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-revealing-superconducting-limit-bilayer-graphene.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:48:04 EST news649946882 Imperial researchers have proposed a new way to directly probe quantum entanglement, the effect that led to the puzzling concept of "spooky action at a distance," where previously grouped particles' quantum states cannot be described independently of each other. The research has been accepted for publication in Physical Review X. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-physicists-bell-probing-quantum-entanglement.html Quantum Physics Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:01:57 EST news649944107 Fine tuning an experimental setup improved a detector's sensitivity to neutrinos and perhaps eventually dark matter—two difficult-to-measure forms of matter which hold great importance for understanding particle physics and experimental cosmology. The University-of-Michigan-led study is published in Physical Review D. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-detector-sensitivity-neutrinos-dark-latest.html General Physics Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:00:03 EST news649944001 Using simple circuitry, polarizing film, and LEGO toy bricks, an undergraduate physics student from the Ateneo de Manila University built an improvised polarimeter that can optically assess the purity of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and other chiral substances. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-student-chemical-purity-tester-lego.html General Physics Optics & Photonics Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:05:03 EST news649940701 In the social media age, there is little doubt about who is the star of the animal kingdom. Cats rule the screens just as their cousins, the lions, rule the savanna. Thanks to Erwin Schrödinger, this feline also has a place of honor in the history of physics. And it was Eme the cat that inspired Anxo Biasi, researcher at the Instituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxías (IGFAE), to publish an article in the American Journal of Physics. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-physicist-cat-reveal-equation-motion.html General Physics Mon, 04 Nov 2024 08:30:01 EST news649585539 Scientists have taken inspiration from the way sunlight passes through clouds to discover an entirely new way of controlling and guiding light. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-cloud-method-waveguiding-mechanism-ways.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 01 Nov 2024 11:31:25 EDT news649679478 A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) multi-disciplinary team developed a new paradigm for the control of quantum emitters, providing a new method for modulating and encoding quantum photonic information on a single photon light stream. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-paradigm-quantum-emitters-modulating-encoding.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Thu, 31 Oct 2024 14:15:38 EDT news649602935 Why are there atomic clocks but no nuclear clocks? After all, an atom's nucleus is typically surrounded by many electrons, so in principle it should be less susceptible to outside noise (in the form of light). A nucleus, for high-atomic number atoms, contains more particles than does the element's electrons. It holds nearly the entire mass of the atom while taking up only about 1/100,000th of the atom's space. While the first atomic clock was invented in 1949, no nuclear clock has yet been feasible. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-state-thorium-possibility-nuclear-clock.html General Physics Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:30:01 EDT news649591431