– new particles of negative mass discovered. Physicists from the University of Regensburg publish results in the internationally renowned journal “Nature Communications” A large international research collaboration led by Dr Kai-Qiang Lin and Professor John Lupton from the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics at the University of Regensburg has been able to measure the effect of electrons with negative mass in novel semiconductor nanostructures. The international team includes scientists from Berkeley and Yale (USA), Cambridge (England) and Tsukuba (Japan)….
Mushballs – giant, slushy hailstones made from a mixture of ammonia and water – may be responsible for an atmospheric anomaly at Neptune and Uranus that has been puzzling scientists. A study presented by Tristan Guillot at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2021 shows that mushballs could be highly effective at carrying ammonia deep into the ice giants’ atmospheres, hiding the gas from detection beneath opaque clouds. Recently, remote observations at infrared and radio wavelengths have shown that Uranus and…
Researchers from Osaka University report a laser-driven neutron source for acquiring non-destructive radiography images. Getting snapshots of systems and processes at precise time points is important to research and development in many fields, including biology, materials science, and engineering. Firing a neutron beam at a material is one way of gaining information; however, this often requires nuclear reactors and specialist facilities. Now, researchers from Osaka University have reported a laser-driven method of simultaneously generating neutrons and X-rays. Their findings are…
Successful project completion demonstrates human-centered LED lighting for industry and office space: The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, in cooperation with the Chair of Microelectronics at the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) of the University of Freiburg and Hahn-Schickard, has developed reliable, demand-oriented and resource-saving LED lighting for workplace and office applications. The lighting concept includes an intelligent, energy-saving light and luminaire control system geared to the needs of working people. Light is much more than just…
Quarks and gluons are fundamental building blocks of all visible matter in the universe. They’re described by the theory of strong nuclear interactions: quantum chromodynamics, or QCD. But a complete grasp of how observed properties in the universe emerge from these interactions has remained elusive. Much as the understanding of atoms and their structure led to the development of very precise instruments such as atomic clocks, physicists think a better understanding of QCD will accelerate a host of breakthroughs in…
In semiconductor device applications, there is an increasing demand for semiconductors with very high carrier concentrations. The semiconductor material parameters, namely carrier density and mobility, are what primarily determine device performance. Hence, it is important to accurately characterize the carrier density and mobility of a semiconductor for the development of its device applications. The use of THz waves, or electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths of around 300 µm and frequency of about 1 THz, in the nondestructive testing of semiconductors has…
Physicists design novel quantum material. Smartphones, notebooks and other electronic devices of our everyday life strongly benefit from the ever-increasing miniaturization of semiconductor devices. This development comes however at a price: confining electrons enhances their scattering– cell phones heat up. Topological insulators hold promises for a more efficient and sustainable technology. At odds with conventional semiconductors, the current flows on their boundaries, with scattering becoming prohibited thanks to symmetry reasons. In other words, things stay cool! In 2007 Laurens Molenkamp,…
A long-lasting non-equilibrium phase coexistence in supercritical fluids has been observed by a Korean research team. A team of researchers led by Professor Gunsu S. Yun from POSTECH’s Department of Physics and the Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering and Professor Dong Eon Kim of the Department of Physics and Max Planck POSTECH/Korea Research Initiative (MPK) has observed the non-equilibrium phase coexistence in supercritical fluids lasting several hours. The researchers explained the phenomenon through a mass transport model at the phase…
It’s challenging to make predictions, especially in astronomy. There are however, a few forecasts astronomers can depend on, such as the timing of upcoming lunar and solar eclipses and the clockwork return of some comets. Now, looking far beyond the solar system, astronomers have added a solid prediction of an event happening deep in intergalactic space: an image of an exploding star, dubbed Supernova Requiem, which will appear around the year 2037. Although this rebroadcast will not be visible to…
Is the Standard Model of particle physics incorrect at key points? Recently there has been an increase in experimental observations that deviate from the predictions of this widely accepted physical theory. A current study by the University of Bonn now provides even stronger evidence for the existence of “new physics”. The final version of the paper is now published in the journal Physics Letters B. Lead author Chien-Yeah Seng will present the results in mid-October at the fall meeting of…
When listening to music, we don’t just hear the notes produced by the instruments, we are also immersed in its echoes from our surroundings. Sound waves bounce back off the walls and objects around us, forming a characteristic sound effect – a specific acoustic field. This explains why the same piece of music sounds very different when played in an old church or a modern concrete building. Architects have long been capitalising on this fact when building, say, concert halls….
“Loss is ubiquitous in nature, and by better understanding it, we make it more useful”. Natural and manmade physical structures all lose energy, and scientists work hard to eliminate that loss or compensate for it. Optical and photonic devices lose energy through light scattering, radiation or material absorption. In some situations, however, intentionally yet carefully designing loss in open optical devices and systems can lead to unconventional physical phenomena which inspires novel methods for optical control and engineering. Lan Yang,…
Ohm’s law is well-known from physics class. It states that the resistance of a conductor and the voltage applied to it determine how much current will flow through the conductor. The electrons in the material – the negatively charged carriers – move in a disordered fashion and largely independently of each other. Physicists find it far more interesting, however, when the charge carriers influence one another strongly enough for that simple picture not to be correct anymore. This is the…
The chemically controlled chains reveal an ultrastrong attraction between electrons that may help cuprate superconductors carry electrical current with no loss at relatively high temperatures. When scientists study unconventional superconductors – complex materials that conduct electricity with zero loss at relatively high temperatures – they often rely on simplified models to get an understanding of what’s going on. Researchers know these quantum materials get their abilities from electrons that join forces to form a sort of electron soup. But modeling…
An international team has developed, assembled, and integrated a new set of receivers for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the Band 1 receivers, which have now been installed for the first time in ALMA antennas and successfully achieved the first light. With ALMA’s lowest frequency receivers, astronomers can view the cool Universe as never before. ALMA, located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile at an altitude of 5,000m above sea level, is comprised of 66 antennas working as…
University of Warwick convenes researchers to investigate challenges of monitoring objects in Earth orbit in new Centre for Space Domain Awareness Research into sustainable use of space aims to support UK aim to become a responsible spacefaring nation Projects will investigate new methods to track debris in orbit and space weather that threaten spacecraft Established as congestion of near-Earth space through new satellites and mega-constellations is anticipated to expand rapidly in coming years New ways of tackling the threat that…
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