LSU quantum researchers uncover hidden quantum behaviors within classical light, which could make quantum technologies robust. Understanding the boundary between classical and quantum physics has long been a central question in science. While thermal light fields have traditionally been viewed as classical, the team fragmented these fields into smaller multiphoton subsystems. Surprisingly, they uncovered quantum coherence—features such as particle interference previously thought unique to quantum systems—within a classical light source. By using a sophisticated technique involving photon-number-resolving detection and orbital…
One of the biggest mysteries in science – dark energy – doesn’t actually exist, according to researchers looking to solve the riddle of how the Universe is expanding. For the past 100 years, physicists have generally assumed that the cosmos is growing equally in all directions. They employed the concept of dark energy as a placeholder to explain unknown physics they couldn’t understand, but the contentious theory has always had its problems. Now a team of physicists and astronomers at…
New technique reveals complex spin structures at femtosecond timescales. Plasmons are collective oscillations of electrons in a solid and are important for a wide range of applications, such as sensing, catalysis, and light harvesting. Plasmonic waves that travel along the surface of a metal, called surface plasmon polaritons, have been studied for their ability to enhance electromagnetic fields. One of the most powerful tools for studying these waves is time-resolved electron microscopy, which uses ultrashort laser pulses to observe how…
Grapes show promise for quantum sensing breakthrough. Macquarie University researchers have demonstrated how ordinary supermarket grapes can enhance the performance of quantum sensors, potentially leading to more efficient quantum technologies. The study, published in Physical Review Applied on 20 December 2024, shows that pairs of grapes can create strong localised magnetic field hotspots of microwaves which are used in quantum sensing applications – a finding that could help develop more compact and cost-effective quantum devices. “While previous studies looked at…
– new calculation confirms standard model of particle physics. Contribution of hadronic vacuum polarization determined with unprecedented accuracy. The magnetic moment of the muon is an important precision parameter for putting the standard model of particle physics to the test. After years of work, the research group led by Professor Hartmut Wittig of the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has calculated this quantity using the so-called lattice quantum chromodynamics method (lattice QCD method). Their result,…
Technique may prevent formation of unwanted waves that siphon off needed energy. Heating plasma to the ultra-high temperatures needed for fusion reactions requires more than turning the dial on a thermostat. Scientists consider multiple methods, one of which involves injecting electromagnetic waves into the plasma, the same process that heats food in microwave ovens. But when they produce one type of heating wave, they can sometimes simultaneously create another type of wave that does not heat the plasma, in effect…
An international team of astronomers, led by researchers from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw, have identified a new class of cosmic X-ray sources. The findings have been published in „Astrophysical Journal Letters.” Most people encounter X-rays during medical visits, where they are used to create images of bones or diagnose lung conditions. These X-rays are generated using artificial sources. However, not everyone knows that celestial objects can also emit X-ray radiation. “Some cosmic phenomena produce X-rays naturally,” explains…
After taking the first images of black holes, the ground-breaking Event Horizon Telescope and the Global mm-VLBI Array poised to reveal how black holes launch powerful jets into space. Now, a research team led by scientists from the Onsala Space Observatory, the University Würzburg and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy has shown that the EHT will be able to make exciting images of a supermassive black hole and its jets in the galaxy NGC 1052. The measurements, made…
NYU and Caltech scientists develop innovative mathematical approach to back existence of long-held framework explaining all physical reality. String theory, conceptualized more than 50 years ago as a framework to explain the formation of matter, remains elusive as a “provable” phenomenon. But a team of physicists has now taken a significant step forward in validating string theory by using an innovative mathematical method that points to its “inevitability.” String theory posits that the most basic building blocks of nature are…
Innovative machine learning method helps safeguard a valuable renewable energy source. Solar power is currently the fastest growing energy sector worldwide. Solar photovoltaic power plants convert sunlight into electricity and their vast potential for producing clean, renewable energy make solar power a cornerstone of the NetZero Emissions by 2050 initiative, which seeks to cut carbon dioxide emissions to zero by the year 2050. Wind has both positive and negative effects on solar power grids. It helps maintain solar panel performance…
Isolated atoms in free space radiate energy at their own individual pace. However, atoms in an optical cavity interact with the photons bouncing back and forth from the cavity mirrors, and by doing so, they coordinate their photon emission and radiate collectively, all in sync. This enhanced light emission before all the atoms reach the ground state is known as superradiance. Interestingly, if an external laser is used to excite the atoms inside the cavity moderately, the absorption of light…
Determining the conditions in which brines are stable could be key to better understanding the climate and potential habitability of Mars. More than a hundred years ago, astronomer Percival Lowell made the case for the existence of canals on Mars designed to redistribute water from the Martian ice caps to its lower, drier latitudes. This necessarily meant the existence of Martians to build the canals. While Lowell was proven wrong by better telescopes, the question of whether there’s liquid water…
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully integrated the mission’s telescope and two instruments onto the instrument carrier, marking the completion of the Roman payload. Now the team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will begin joining the payload to the spacecraft. “We’re in the middle of an exciting stage of mission preparation,” said Jody Dawson, a Roman systems engineer at NASA Goddard. “All the components are now here at Goddard, and they’re coming together…
A new model highlights the importance of molecular interactions to create order in active systems. Non-reciprocal interactions can increase the order in an active system. This is the finding of a new study by scientists from the department of Living Matter Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS). The researchers created a model to describe the emerging patterns depending on the amount of non-reciprocity in an active system. Living matter often shows characteristics that are absent…
With integrated gain-filtering, new device could boost 5G/6G networks and enhance data transmission. Researchers have developed a 3D-printed device that generates twisting light beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM), a form of rotational energy that can carry more data than regular beams. The efficient, compact and low-cost vortex beam generators could help enhance the capacity and reliability of future wireless systems. “The growing demand for high-capacity, interference-resistant communication systems in applications like 5G/6G wireless networks requires innovative solutions,” said research…
A team of scientists headed by Dr. Lukas Bruder of the University of Freiburg controlled special quantum states in helium atoms with the FERMI free electron laser. An international research team headed by Dr. Lukas Bruder of the University of Freiburg has for the first time controlled hybrid electron-photon quantum states in helium atoms. Control of these special quantum states was enabled by the pulse formation of very intense, extreme ultraviolet radiation. This method introduces the possibility not only of…
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