A team of researchers including the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI) has observed a pair of galaxies merging 12.8 billion years ago, forming one of the brightest objects in the early Universe, reports a new study in The Astrophysical Journal. Observations to date have discovered a number of supermassive black holes with masses exceeding a billion times that of the Sun in the early Universe, when the Universe was less than a…

HZDR-Team presents new diagnostic tool for laser-plasma accelerator. Laser-plasma accelerators take up less space than conventional facilities, which are sometimes kilometers long. Such compact particle sources can accelerate electron bunches efficiently, enabling x-ray lasers that fit in the basement of a university institute. But there are a few challenges to be met: in order to produce UV or x-ray light, the electron bunches generated by a laser-plasma accelerator must be very finely bundled and have defined properties. To date, it…

When different quantum states combine, new collective states of matter can emerge. In the quantum realm, combining components such as atoms that possess quantum effects can give rise to macroscopic quantum states of matter, featuring exotic quantum excitations that do not exist anywhere else. In a collaboration between Aalto University and the Institute of Physics CAS, researchers built an artificial quantum material, atom by atom, from magnetic titanium on top of a magnesium oxide substrate. They then carefully engineered how…

A team of scientists has unlocked the potential of 6G communications with a new polarisation multiplexer. Terahertz communications represent the next frontier in wireless technology, promising data transmission rates far exceeding current systems. By operating at terahertz frequencies, these systems can support unprecedented bandwidth, enabling ultra-fast wireless communication and data transfer. However, one of the significant challenges in terahertz communications is effectively managing and utilising the available spectrum. The team has developed the first ultra-wideband integrated terahertz polarisation (de)multiplexer implemented…

A&M joins a Northwestern University-led center to bring highly skilled, affordable robotic assistance to the workforce and beyond. Texas A&M University is joining a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC), led by Northwestern University, seeking to develop robots capable of enhancing human labor. A central goal of the Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity (HAND) center is to make robotic assistance accessible and applicable to a wide range of physical actions through an engineered system of dexterous robotic hands,…

Using observations from a NASA suborbital rocket, an international team of scientists has, for the first time, successfully measured a planet-wide electric field thought to be as fundamental to Earth as its gravity and magnetic fields. Known as the ambipolar electric field, scientists first hypothesized over 60 years ago that it drove how our planet’s atmosphere can escape above Earth’s North and South Poles. Measurements from the rocket, NASA’s Endurance mission, have confirmed the existence of the ambipolar field and quantified…

Research project develops more targeted prompting. Clinical studies include large amounts of data and text. Language models such as ChatGPT help doctors and clinical staff to retrieve specific information using natural language. But how well can AI bots analyze logical correlations and make the right inferences? This is where the AutoPrompt research project sets in. It aims to counteract errors and hallucinations, which can occur when the systems make inferences. To this end, the researchers are developing a system that…

The existence of topological excitons predicted by OU-led research team. Bruno Uchoa, a professor of condensed matter physics, and Hong-yi Xie, a postdoctoral fellow in condensed matter physics at the University of Oklahoma, have published research in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that predicts the existence of a new type of exciton. These particles could lead to the advancement of future quantum devices. Hong-yi Xie, left, and Bruno Uchoa. Credit: Sophia Armoudian, University of Oklahoma Excitons…

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration has conducted test observations, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and other facilities, that achieved the highest resolution ever obtained from the surface of Earth [1]. They managed this feat by detecting light from distant galaxies at a frequency of around 345 GHz, equivalent to a wavelength of 0.87 mm. The Collaboration estimates that in future they will be able to make black hole images that are 50% more detailed than was possible before,…

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration has conducted test observations achieving the highest resolution ever obtained from the surface of the Earth, by detecting light from the centers of distant galaxies at a frequency of around 345 GHz. When combined with existing images of supermassive black holes at the hearts of M87 and Sgr A at the lower frequency of 230 GHz, these new results will not only make black hole photographs 50% crisper but also produce multi-color views of…

ISTA welcomes stellar evolution specialist Ilaria Caiazzo as an assistant professor. A two-faced star, a star as massive as the Sun but as compact as the Moon, and star ‘corpses’ that engulf entire planets and disrupt planetary orbits. Ilaria Caiazzo, an astrophysicist who has made stunning discoveries, joins the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) as a new assistant professor. Her path led her from philosophy to studying stellar evolution and death while managing her broad interests including movie…

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) recently imaged the shadows around the supermassive black holes in M 87 and Sgr A* at a wavelength of 1.3mm. Since angular resolution increases with decreasing observing wavelength, observations at a shorter wavelength provide an even sharper view into the immediate surroundings of black holes. A new publication on results of a VLBI pilot experiment of EHT telescopes mutually observing at the short wavelength of 0.87 mm now demonstrates the technical feasibility and sets a…

Sandia collaboration combines integrated photonics and light-wave frequency for novel quantum information processing. Sandia National Laboratories and Arizona State University, two research powerhouses, are collaborating to push the boundaries of quantum technology and transform large-scale optical systems into compact integrated microsystems. Nils Otterstrom, a Sandia physicist specializing in integrated photonics, is at the forefront of scaling down optical systems to the size of a chip. This innovation offers performance advantages and scalability for an array of applications from advanced computing…

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Solar Array Sun Shield has successfully completed recent tests, signaling that the assembly is on track to be completed on schedule. The panels are designed to power and shade the observatory, enabling all the mission’s observations and helping keep the instruments cool. The Roman team has two sets of these panels –– one that will fly aboard the observatory and another as a test structure, used specifically for preliminary assessments. Engineers at NASA’s Goddard…

A common practice among software developers is to use so-called code snippets from the platform Stack Overflow. A study by CISPA researcher Alfusainey Jallow now shows that this can lead to security risks in the long run. One of the reasons for this is that security-relevant updates to the code snippets often do not find their way into the software in which the snippets are used. Jallow published the results of his study in the paper “Measuring the Effects of…

Physicists ease path to entanglement for quantum sensing. Nothing in science can be achieved or understood without measurement. Today, thanks to advances in quantum sensing, scientists can measure things that were once impossible to even imagine: vibrations of atoms, properties of individual photons, fluctuations associated with gravitational waves. A quantum mechanical trick called “spin squeezing” is widely recognized to hold promise for supercharging the capabilities of the world’s most precise quantum sensors, but it’s been notoriously difficult to achieve. In…