Quantum physics deals with the laws of nature in the atomic and subatomic range. Findings gained from this research have, for example, enabled the development of computer chips, nuclear magnetic resonance tomographs or navigation systems. At the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU), Professor Dr. Artur Widera and his research group do research on quantum physics. In a current research paper, they present a quantum motor that cannot be described in the classical sense with thermodynamic principles. The drive is based on…
The behavior of electrons in liquids determines a vast range of chemical processes and thus essential processes in organisms and the world as a whole. But electron movements are extremely hard to capture because they take place within attoseconds: the realm of quintillionths of a second. Since advanced lasers now operate at these timescales, they can offer scientists glimpses of these ultrafast processes via a range of techniques. An international team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the…
Earth observation is like a super detective for our planet. It shows us what’s happening on Earth and even influences our daily lives, for example, through more accurate weather forecasts. As part of the EU-funded SURPRISE project, a team of experts has been investigating how Earth observation satellites can be made smarter, but also safer. Using two breakthrough technologies – spatial light modulators and Compressive Sensing – the project has developed a demonstrator for superspectral Earth observation with improved spatial…
X-ray laser shows possible route to substantially increased precision time measurement. An international research team has taken a decisive step toward a new generation of atomic clocks. At the European XFEL X-ray laser, the researchers have created a much more precise pulse generator based on the element scandium, which enables an accuracy of one second in 300 billion years – that is about a thousand times more precise than the current standard atomic clock based on caesium. The team presents…
Physicists observe the first gravitational free-fall of antimatter. First measurement of the force of the earth’s gravity on antimatter published in prestigious Nature journal. The physics behind antimatter is one of the world’s greatest mysteries. Looking as far back as The Big Bang, physics has predicted that when we create matter, we also create antimatter. The world around us is made of matter, but physicists have yet to find an explanation for the absence of antimatter. Now, physicists at the…
Experiment measures the energy spectrum of neutrons emitted from neutron-induced fission. The results of the Chi-Nu physics experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory have contributed essential, never-before-observed data for enhancing nuclear security applications, understanding criticality safety and designing fast-neutron energy reactors. The Chi-Nu project, a years-long experiment measuring the energy spectrum of neutrons emitted from neutron-induced fission, recently concluded the most detailed and extensive uncertainty analysis of the three major actinide elements — uranium-238, uranium-235 and plutonium-239. “Nuclear fission and…
Seven of the world’s largest mirrors will search the Universe for life beyond Earth. The Giant Magellan Telescope begins the four-year process to fabricate and polish its seventh and final primary mirror, the last required to complete the telescope’s 368 square meter light collecting surface, the world’s largest and most challenging optics ever produced. Together, the mirrors will collect more light than any other telescope in existence, allowing humanity to unlock the secrets of the Universe by providing detailed chemical…
Is it possible to make a femtosecond laser entirely out of glass? That’s the rabbit hole that Yves Bellouard, head of EPFL’s Galatea Laboratory, went down after years of spending hours – and hours – aligning femtosecond lasers for lab experiments. The Galatea laboratory is at the crossroads between optics, mechanics and materials science, and femtosecond lasers is a crucial element of Bellouard’s work. Femtosecond lasers produce extremely short and regular bursts of laser light and have many applications such…
Negative pressure is a rare and challenging-to-detect phenomenon in physics. Using liquid-filled optical fibers and sound waves, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) in Erlangen have now discovered a new method to measure it. In collaboration with the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technologies in Jena (IPHT), the scientists in the Quantum Optoacoustics research group, led by Birgit Stiller, can gain important insights into thermodynamic states. As a physical quantity pressure is encountered in various…
The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) marked the completion of an important step on the path to spacecraft assembly, test, and launch operations this week at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland. The IMAP team met with a review panel to evaluate the plan for integrating all systems onto the spacecraft, such as the scientific instrumentation, electrical and communication systems, and navigation systems. Successful completion of this System Integration Review (SIR) means that the project can proceed…
Jupiter’s moon Europa is one of a handful of worlds in our solar system that could potentially harbor conditions suitable for life. Previous research has shown that beneath its water-ice crust lies a salty ocean of liquid water with a rocky seafloor. However, planetary scientists had not confirmed if that ocean contained the chemicals needed for life, particularly carbon. Astronomers using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have identified carbon dioxide in a specific region on the icy surface…
Glass, despite its apparent transparency and rigidity, is a complex and intriguing material. When a liquid is cooled to form a glass, its dynamics slows down significantly, resulting in its unique properties. This process, known as “glass transition”, has puzzled scientists for decades. But one of its intriguing aspects is the emergence of “dynamical heterogeneities,” where the dynamics become increasingly correlated and intermittent as the liquid cools down and approaches the glass transition temperature. In a new study, researchers propose…
Ultra-low radiation cables reduce background noise for neutrino and dark matter detectors. Imagine trying to tune a radio to a single station but instead encountering static noise and interfering signals from your own equipment. That is the challenge facing research teams searching for evidence of extremely rare events that could help understand the origin and nature of matter in the universe. It turns out that when you are trying to tune into some of the universe’s weakest signals, it helps…
Visualizing electron flow motivates new devices inspired by airplane wings. A study showing how electrons flow around sharp bends, such as those found in integrated circuits, has the potential to improve how these circuits, commonly used in electronic and optoelectronic devices, are designed. It has been known theoretically for about 80 years that when electrons travel around bends, they tend to heat up because their flow lines get squished locally. Until now, however, no one had measured the heat, for…
New finding might explain why quasars flare and fade so quickly. A new Northwestern University-led study is changing the way astrophysicists understand the eating habits of supermassive black holes. While previous researchers have hypothesized that black holes eat slowly, new simulations indicate that black holes scarf food much faster than conventional understanding suggests. The study will be published on Wednesday (Sept. 20) in The Astrophysical Journal. According to new high-resolution 3D simulations, spinning black holes twist up the surrounding space-time,…
3D printing can produce highly complex shapes. But printing ceramic objects with the help of a laser is a more difficult challenge. Now researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have for the first time taken tomograms revealing what happens at microscopic level during this fabrication process. The findings will help improve this very promising technology. 3D printing is already being used to produce many objects. Additive manufacturing is increasingly being used in the aerospace and automotive industry, for example,…
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