PhysORG Physics News

A simple way of sculpting matter into complex shapes
A new method for shaping matter into complex shapes, with the use of 'twisted' light, has been demonstrated in research at the University of Strathclyde.
Matter at extreme conditions of very high temperature and pressure turns out to be remarkably simple and universal
Scientists at Queen Mary University of London have made two discoveries about the behavior of "supercritical matter"—matter at the critical point where the differences between liquids and ga …
A step towards quantum gravity
In Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity arises when a massive object distorts the fabric of spacetime the way a ball sinks into a piece of stretched cloth. Solving Einstein's equ …
China claims new world record for strongest steady magnetic field
On August 12, the hybrid magnet of the Steady High Magnetic Field Facility (SHMFF) in Hefei, China, produced a steady field of 45.22 tesla (T), the highest steady magnetic field by a working magnet in …
Researchers find new ways to steer fusion with lasers and magnetic fields
Imagine trying to summon the sun to your research laboratory.
A new method boosts wind farms' energy output, without new equipment
Virtually all wind turbines, which produce more than 5 percent of the world's electricity, are controlled as if they were individual, free-standing units. In fact, the vast majority are part of l …
Researchers explore a new connection between topology and quantum entanglement
Topology and entanglement are two powerful principles for characterizing the structure of complex quantum states. In a new paper in the journal Physical Review X, researchers from the University of Pe …
A new shortcut for quantum simulations could unlock new doors for technology
From water boiling into steam to ice cubes melting in a glass, we've all seen the phenomenon known as a phase transition in our everyday lives. But there's another type of phase transition t …
Lab successfully demonstrates new technique to improve particle beams
Physicists love to smash particles together and study the resulting chaos. Therein lies the discovery of new particles and strange physics, generated for tiny fractions of a second and recreating cond …
'Eternal engine' inspires the next generation of ultraprecise atomic clocks
UK scientists have created an "eternal engine" to keep the next generation of atomic clock ticking.
Ultracold atoms dressed by light simulate gauge theories
Our modern understanding of the physical world is based on gauge theories: mathematical models from theoretical physics that describe the interactions between elementary particles (such as electrons o …
Higgs10: Inventing the future of Higgs research
In 1975, three CERN theorists, John Ellis, Mary K. Gaillard and Dimitri Nanopoulos, undertook the first comprehensive study of the collider phenomenology of the Higgs boson. Almost 40 years later, it …
New quantum whirlpools with tetrahedral symmetries discovered in a superfluid
An international collaboration of scientists has created and observed an entirely new class of vortices—the whirling masses of fluid or air.
Scientists twirl liquid light into time-periodic cluster
Researchers from Skoltech, the University of Iceland, and the University of Southampton have demonstrated the formation of an odd never-before-seen entity from the realm of quantum physics: a cluster …
Customized fiber generates Bessel beams
An all fiber-based approach to generating special optical beams, called Bessel beams, could open up new applications in imaging, optical trapping and communications.
The experimental observation of long-lived phantom helix states in Heisenberg quantum magnets
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms, Harvard University and Stanford University have recently unveiled the existence of unique helica …
Novel approach for generating coherent and ultrashort soft X-ray pulses
A research team from Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has proposed an external seeding mechanism, termed echo-enabled harmonic cascade (EEHC), for generating coh …
Perovskite: New LED technology surpasses the lifetime milestone
Perovskite LEDs are an emerging technology for next-generation display, lighting and communications. While perovskite LEDs can be produced simply and at low cost, they show clear technological advanta …
Three papers highlight results of record 1.3 megajoule yield experiment
After decades of inertial confinement fusion research, a yield of more than 1.3 megajoules (MJ) was achieved at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) National Ignition Facility ( …
In simulation of how water freezes, artificial intelligence breaks the ice
A team based at Princeton University has accurately simulated the initial steps of ice formation by applying artificial intelligence (AI) to solving equations that govern the quantum behavior of indiv …
Graphite changes to hexagonal diamond in picoseconds
The graphite-diamond phase transition is of particular interest for fundamental reasons and a wide range of applications.
Robotic motion in curved space defies standard laws of physics
When humans, animals, and machines move throughout the world, they always push against something, whether it's the ground, air, or water. Until recently, physicists believed this to be a constant …
Researchers develop the world's fastest two-qubit gate between two single atoms
A research group led by graduate student Yeelai Chew, Assistant Professor Sylvain de Léséleuc and Professor Kenji Ohmori at the Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences …
Order up: New study reveals importance of liquid structural ordering in crystallization
Crystallization in liquids is a fundamental phase transition. While for many years, the understanding of crystallization was governed by classical nucleation theory, recent research has shifted focus …
Machine learning reveals hidden components of X-ray pulses
Ultrafast pulses from X-ray lasers reveal how atoms move at timescales of a femtosecond. That's a quadrillionth of a second. However, measuring the properties of the pulses themselves is challeng …
Ultrasensitive optical sensing instrument has broad medical, science uses
In research that could broadly benefit science, medicine and engineering, a new kind of ultrasensitive optical sensing instrument has been developed by a doctoral student at The University of Alabama …
Do 'bouncing universes' have a beginning?
In trying to understand the nature of the cosmos, some theorists propose that the universe expands and contracts in endless cycles.
Don't fall for the snake oil claims of 'structured water.' A chemist explains why it's nonsense
Is there a "fourth phase of water"? From time to time you might see people talking up the health benefits of so-called hexagonal water, or structured water, or exclusion-zone (EZ) water.
Simulating infinitely many chaotic particles using a quantum computer
A team of researchers at Quantinuum, working with a colleague at the University of Texas, Austin, has developed a way to simulate infinitely many chaotic particles using a quantum computer running wit …
Simultaneous multi-gas detection needs only sub-μL analyte
Trace gas detection based on laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) is a powerful technique due to its high sensitivity and selectivity, and it is widely used in many fields. Most of current works are pe …