Atoms may hum a tune from grand cosmic symphony Researchers playing with a cloud of ultracold atoms uncovered behavior that bears a striking resemblance to the universe in microcosm. Their work forges new connections between atomic physics and the …
Understanding Mercury's magnetic tail Theoretical physicists used simulations to explain the unusual readings collected in 2009 by the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging mission. The origin of energetic electron …
New type of 'opal' formed by common seaweed Scientists have discovered a completely new type of opal formed by a common seaweed which harnesses natural technology by self-assembling a nanostructure of oil droplets to control how light reflects …
From insulator to conductor in a flash A clever combination of novel technologies enables us to study promising materials for the electronics of tomorrow. Using short laser pulses, a research team have now shed light on the extremely rapid …
A new Bose-Einstein condensate Researchers have created a Bose-Einstein condensate of light coupled with metal electrons, so-called surface plasmon polaritons.
Quantum shift shows itself in coupled light and matter Researchers observe and measure a Bloch-Siegert shift in strongly coupled light and matter in a vacuum. The project could aid in the development of quantum computers.
When nuclei catch up with electrons In an attosecond study of the H2 molecule physicists found that for light atomic nuclei — as contained in most organic and biological molecules — the correlation between electronic and nuclear motio …
Some superconductors can also carry currents of 'spin' Researchers have shown that certain superconductors — materials that carry electrical current with zero resistance at very low temperatures — can also carry currents of 'spin'. The success …
Scientists uncover how to stop cyber intrusions Researchers have found a proverbial smoking gun signature of the long sought-after Majorana particle, and the find, they say, could block intruders on sensitive communication networks.
Individual impurity atoms detectable in graphene Physicists have succeeded in using atomic force microscopy to clearly obtain images of individual impurity atoms in graphene ribbons. Thanks to the forces measured in the graphene's two-dimension …
When superconductivity disappears in the core of a quantum tube Predicting the behavior of electrons in a material is not easily done. Physicists have replaced the electrons with ultra-cold neutral lithium atoms that they had circulated in a one-dimensional quantu …
Quantum physicists achieve entanglement record Entanglement is of central importance for the new quantum technologies of the 21st century. A research team is now presenting the largest entangled quantum register of individually controllable system …
Wiggling atoms switch the electric polarization of crystals A time-resolved x-ray experiment now elucidates that tiny atomic vibrations shift negative charges over a 1000 times larger distance between atoms and switch the macroscopic polarization on a time sca …
Plan for quantum supremacy Things are getting real for researchers in the UC Santa Barbara John Martinis/Google group. They are making good on their intentions to declare supremacy in a tight global race to build the first quan …
New aspects of superconductivity and related phenomena Discovered accidentally over a century ago, the phenomenon of superconductivity continues to inspire a technological revolution. In 1911, while studying the behavior of solid mercury supercooled to 4 …
New quantum method generates really random numbers Researchers have developed a method for generating numbers guaranteed to be random, through the use of quantum mechanics. The experimental technique surpasses all previous methods for ensuring the unp …
Sensing interactions between molecules An experimental approach to visualize structures of organic molecules with exceptional resolution is reported by physicists and chemists.
The thermodynamics of computing Information processing requires a lot of energy. Energy-saving computer systems could make computing more efficient, but the efficiency of these systems can't be increased indefinitely, as physic …
Tiny nanomachine successfully completes test drive Scientists have used nanostructures to construct a tiny machine that constitutes a rotatory motor and can move in a specific direction. The researchers used circular structures from DNA.
Solid research leads physicists to propose new state of matter The term 'superfluid quasicrystal' sounds like something a comic-book villain might use to carry out his dastardly plans. In reality, it's a new form of matter proposed by theoretical p …
Mirror-like physics of superconductor-insulator transition The mirror-like physics of the superconductor-insulator transition operates exactly as expected. Scientists know this to be true following the observation of a remarkable phenomenon, the existence of …
A different spin on superconductivity Researchers have seen exotic superconductivity that relies on highly unusual electron interactions. While predicted to occur in other non-material systems, this type of behavior has remained elusive. …
Creating a 2-D platinum magnet Physicists have induced magnetism in platinum with an electric field created by a paramagnetic ionic liquid. As only the surface of the platinum is affected, this creates a switchable 2-D ferromagnet. …
Crash! Scientists explain what happens when nanoparticles collide New research on the events that occur when tiny specks of matter called nanoparticles smash into each other could one day inform the development of technologies such as earphones that protect people f …
High-speed and on-silicon-chip graphene blackbody emitters High-speed light emitters integrated on silicon chips can enable novel architectures for silicon-based optoelectronics. However, compound-semiconductor-based light emitters face major challenges for t …
Scientists create 'Swiss army knife' for electron beams Scientists have created a miniature particle accelerator for electrons that can perform four different functions at the push of a button. The experimental device is driven by a Terahertz radiation sou …
A novel test bed for non-equilibrium many-body physics The behavior of electrons in a material is typically difficult to predict. Novel insight comes now from experiments and simulations performed by physicists who have studied electronic transport proper …
Latest nanowire experiment boosts confidence in Majorana sighting In the latest experiment of its kind, researchers have captured the most compelling evidence to date that unusual particles lurk inside a special kind of superconductor. The result confirms theoretica …
Next-gen lithium-metal batteries for electric vehicles, smart grids Electric vehicles, wind turbines or smart grids require batteries with far greater energy capacity than currently available. A leading contender is the lithium-metal battery. However, dendrite, or sha …
Photosynthesis uses vibrations as 'traffic signals' Researchers have discovered a new role for protein vibrations in controlling the transformation of sunshine into useful energy. The study illuminates a mechanism that could help design better solar ma …
Teaching machines to spot the essential Physicists have developed a novel machine-learning algorithm that analyses large data sets describing a physical system and extract from them the essential information needed to understand the underly …
The physics of finance helps solve a century-old mystery By unleashing the power of big data and statistical physics, researchers in Japan have developed a model that aids understanding of how and why financial Brownian motion arises.
Can the causal order between events change in quantum mechanics? Researchers have developed a new theoretical framework to describe how causal structures in quantum mechanics transform. They analyze under which conditions quantum mechanics allows the causal structu …
The future of photonics using quantum dots Fiber-optic cables package everything from financial data to cat videos into light, but when the signal arrives at your local data center, it runs into a silicon bottleneck. Instead of light, computer …
Putting quantum scientists in the driver's seat An interdisciplinary, interdepartmental group of scientists conducted fundamental physics studies at the nanoscale to support development of experimental platforms that will control dissipation in qua …
Molecular prison forces diatomic inmates to cell floor A team of scientists now report unexpected quantum behavior of hydrogen molecules trapped within tiny cages made of organic molecules, demonstrating that the structure of the cage influences the behav …
Unresolved puzzles in exotic nuclei Scientists discuss the structure of unstable and unbound forms of Helium, Lithium, and Beryllium nuclei that have unusually large neutron to proton ratios — dubbed 'exotic' light nuclei. Ma …
CERN experiment sees hints of rare kaon decay What if the odds of an event occurring were about one in 10 billion? This is the case for the decay of a positively charged particle known as a kaon into another positively charged particle called a p …