Cooperativity and entanglement pave way for ground-state cooling using nitrogen vacancy centers

Center for Nanoscale Materials researchers present a quantum model for achieving ground-state cooling in low frequency mechanical resonators and show how cooperativity and entanglement are key factors to enhance the cooling figure of merit.

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Large Hadron Collider upgrade project leaps forward

The U.S. Large Hadron Collider Accelerator Upgrade Project is the Fermilab-led collaboration of U.S. laboratories that, in partnership with CERN and a dozen other countries, is working to upgrade the Large Hadron Collider. LHC AUP began just over two years ago and, on Feb. 11, it received key approvals, allowing the project to transition into its next steps.

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Big data at the atomic scale: New detector reaches new frontier in speed

Advances in electron microscopy – using electrons as imaging tools to see things well beyond the reach of conventional microscopes that use light – have opened up a new window into the nanoscale world and brought a wide range of samples into focus as never before.

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Experts move one step closer to demystifying the quantum world

The quantum world is notoriously complex, its multiple layers and miniscule components eluding standard analytical approaches.

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Neutrinos seen in the clustering of galaxies

In early times, the universe was an energetic mix of strongly interacting particles. The first particles to break free from this dense soup were neutrinos, the lightest and most weakly interacting particles of the Standard Model of particle physics. These neutrinos are still around us today, but are very hard to detect directly because they are so weakly interacting. An international team of cosmologists, including Daniel Baumann and Benjamin Wallisch from the University of Amsterdam, have now succeeded in measuring the influence of this 'cosmic neutrino background' on the way galaxies have become clustered during the evolution of the universe. The research was published in Nature Physics this week.

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LHCb catches fast-spinning charmonium particle

The LHCb collaboration has spotted a new particle. Its mass and other properties place it squarely in the charmonium family that includes the better-known J/ψ particle, which was the first particle containing a "charm quark" to be discovered and won its discoverers a Nobel prize in physics. Future studies of the properties of this new charmonium state and its relatives will help physicists better understand the strong force that binds together quarks, among the smallest particles that we know of.

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How our tissues manage mechanical stress

When running, breathing and moving, the body is continuously deforming. How do the tissues in the body deal with all these mechanical stresses? Publishing today in Nature Physics, researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and AMOLF institute show how the two principal components of soft tissues, collagen and hyaluronic acid, work together for finely tuning the mechanical response of our tissues.

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When sand-slithering snakes behave like light waves

Desert snakes slithering across the sand at night can encounter obstacles such as plants or twigs that alter the direction of their travel. While studying that motion to learn how limbless animals control their bodies in such environments, researchers discovered that snakes colliding with these obstacles mimic aspects of light or subatomic particles when they encounter a diffraction grating.

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Mini-tornadoes of spores illuminated during raindrop impact

Plant diseases are a significant threat to our food security. Rain provides fresh water to our crops, but splashing drops may also contribute to the spread of plant disease. Raindrop impact is known to be a mechanism for dispersing microscopic spores of pathogens, which infect staple crops and devastate crop yields.

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New periodic table of droplets could help solve crimes

Liquid droplets assume complex shapes and behave in different ways, each with a distinct resonance—like a drum head or a violin string—depending on the intricate interrelationship of the liquid, the solid it lands on and the gas surrounding it.

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Doctoral student creating 'scrubber' textiles discovers neutron analysis techniques at ORNL

Yue Yuan, a second-year Ph.D. student at NC State University's Wilson College of Textiles, is working to create textiles that filter carbon dioxide (CO2) by using the latest scientific techniques in synthesis and imaging. Known as biocatalytic textiles, these materials could serve as sustainable scrubbers for CO2 capture by using enzymes trapped in bio-based polymers to catalyze the hydration of CO2.

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New dynamic dependency framework may lead to better neural social and tech systems models

Many real-world complex systems include macroscopic subsystems which influence one another. This arises, for example, in competing or mutually reinforcing neural populations in the brain, spreading dynamics of viruses, and elsewhere. It is therefore important to understand how different types of inter-system interactions can influence overall collective behaviors.

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A quantum magnet with a topological twist

Taking their name from an intricate Japanese basket pattern, kagome magnets are thought to have electronic properties that could be valuable for future quantum devices and applications. Theories predict that some electrons in these materials have exotic, so-called topological behaviors and others behave somewhat like graphene, another material prized for its potential for new types of electronics.

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Laser-driven particle accelerator that can generate pairs of electron beams with different energies

Researchers at LMU have built the first-ever laser-driven particle accelerator that can generate pairs of electron beams with different energies.

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A new framework to predict spatiotemporal signal propagation in complex networks

Past studies have found that a variety of complex networks, from biological systems to social media networks, can exhibit universal topological characteristics. These universal characteristics, however, do not always translate into similar system dynamics. The dynamic behavior of a system cannot be predicted from topology alone, but rather depends on the interaction of a network's topology with the dynamic mechanisms that determine the relationship between its nodes.

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A tip for future nanoscale sensing

Commercially-available diamond tips used in atomic force microscopy (AFM) could help make quantum nanoscale sensing cost-effective and practical, A*STAR researchers have found.

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Researchers watch molecules in a light-triggered catalyst ring 'like an ensemble of bells'

Photocatalysts – materials that trigger chemical reactions when hit by light – are important in a number of natural and industrial processes, from producing hydrogen for fuel to enabling photosynthesis.

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Physicists calculate proton's pressure distribution for first time

Neutron stars are among the densest-known objects in the universe, withstanding pressures so great that one teaspoon of a star's material would equal about 15 times the weight of the moon. Yet as it turns out, protons—the fundamental particles that make up most of the visible matter in the universe—contain even higher pressures.

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The 'Laminar Express': Engineers dissect the two-seam fastball

The worlds of engineering and baseball have collided. Researchers at Utah State University are breaking down the physics of a new baseball pitch that's been getting a lot of attention.

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Do alpha particle condensates exist in oxygen nuclei?

Nuclei in their lowest energy states (ground state) are composed of neutrons and protons. Two protons and two neutrons in a nucleus can cluster together to form alpha particles. When the nucleus gets nearly enough energy to disintegrate into alpha particles, the alpha particles can arrange themselves in the lowest possible quantum energy level, forming a Bose-Einstein condensate. Examples are the ground state of beryllium-8 and the famous carbon-12 "Hoyle" state, named for Fred Hoyle who first postulated its existence to explain the production of carbon in stars. Could analogous states exist in other isotopes like oxygen-16 and neon-20? Nuclear researchers at Texas A&M University indicated a state analogous to the Hoyle state exists in oxygen-16.

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A qualitative model to describe microscopic 'jumps' by adhesive tape unwinding from a roll

A team of researchers from Universite de Lyon and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique has developed a qualitative model to describe microscopic "jumps" that happen when adhesive tape is unwound from a roll. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the group describes their study of the process using high-speed cameras and what they found.

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Sculpting stable structures in pure liquids

Oscillating flow and light pulses can be used to create reconfigurable architecture in liquid crystals. Materials scientists can carefully engineer concerted microfluidic flows and localized optothermal fields to achieve control on nucleation , growth and shape of such liquid domains. In comparison, pure liquids in thermodynamic equilibrium are structurally homogeneous. Experimental work based on theory and simulations have shown that if the liquids are maintained in a controlled state of nonequilibrium, the resulting structures can be indefinitely stabilized.

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How to freeze heat conduction

Physicists have discovered a new effect, which makes it possible to create excellent thermal insulators which conduct electricity. Such materials can be used to convert waste heat into electrical energy.

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Water is more homogeneous than expected

In order to explain the known anomalies in water, some researchers assume that water consists of a mixture of two phases, even under ambient conditions. However, new X-ray spectroscopic analyses at BESSY II, ESRF and Swiss Light Source show that this is not the case. At room temperature and normal pressure, the water molecules form a fluctuating network with an average of 1.74 ± 2.1 percent donor and acceptor hydrogen bridge bonds per molecule each, allowing tetrahedral coordination between close neighbors.

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Event-based data collection enriches neutron scattering research and new product development

Scientists using neutron scattering methods to look at the behavior of materials under stress or during phase changes and chemical reactions can view processes from new angles using event-based data. Understanding phase changes and chemical reactions is vital to the design of next-gen consumer products such as better batteries, more powerful electronic devices, cars with improved fuel efficiency, and safer, more effective medical applications.

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Correlated nucleons may solve 35-year-old mystery

A careful re-analysis of data taken at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has revealed a possible link between correlated protons and neutrons in the nucleus and a 35-year-old mystery. The data have led to the extraction of a universal function that describes the EMC Effect, the once-shocking discovery that quarks inside nuclei have lower average momenta than predicted, and supports an explanation for the effect. The study has been published in the journal Nature.

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Observing matter-wave diffraction from a periodic array of half planes

Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), in Korea, and Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, in Germany, have recently conducted a study investigating matter-wave diffraction from a periodic array of half planes. Their paper, published on Physical Review Letters (PRL), reports on the reflection and diffraction of He and D2 beams from square-wave gratings of a 400−μm period and strip widths ranging from 10 to 200 μm at grazing-incidence conditions.

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Arapuca device for international neutrino experiment is enhanced

A critical part of one of the largest recent particle physics experiments was developed in Brazil. The Arapuca is a light detector to be installed in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a project seeking to discover new properties of neutrinos, fundamental particles with very little mass that travel at close to the speed of light.

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Predicting the existence of heavy nuclei using machine learning

A collaboration between the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and the Department of Statistics and Probability (STT) at Michigan State University (MSU) estimated the boundaries of nuclear existence by applying statistical analysis to nuclear models, and assessed the impact of current and future FRIB experiments.

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Want to learn about dinosaurs? Pick up some Louisiana roadkill

Fossil-hunting can be grueling, but it's usually not gross. Paleontologists typically work with things that have been dead for millions of years, mineralized into rock and no longer smelly. At the end of a day in the field, the researchers just have to dust themselves off and wash muddy boots and sweaty clothes. But for a new study delving into the ecosystems that dinosaurs lived in, a team of paleontologists found themselves scraping swamp rabbits and armadillos off the Louisiana highway.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2BIOkv4

Researchers find an unusual way in which a material conducts heat when it is compressed

In the latest wrinkle to be discovered in cubic boron arsenide, the unusual material contradicts the traditional rules that govern heat conduction, according to a new report by Boston College researchers in today's edition of the journal Nature Communications.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2TUaEsQ

Search engine for new breakthroughs in physics

Imagine that you have a lot of data, but you do not really know what you are looking for. So what do you do? In that case you use a computer that automatically searches for deviations. According to researcher Sascha Caron, this will be a promising method to achieve new breakthroughs in particle physics. Together with other ATLAS researchers at CERN, he has demonstrated this new approach in a paper in The European Physics Journal C, which was published earlier this month.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2T3REuN

Physicists explain fireballs erupting from grapes in microwave oven

A trio of researchers with McMaster, Concordia and Trent Universities has solved the mystery of why pairs of grapes ignite into fireballs when cooked together in a microwave oven. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Hamza Khattak, Pablo Bianucci and Aaron Slepkov claim that the fireball is not the result of heat from the outside of the grapes making its way in, but instead comes about due to hotspots that form in both grapes.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2U0SE0c

Environmental noise found to enhance the transport of energy across a line of ions

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Austria and Germany has shown that introducing environmental noise to a line of ions can lead to enhanced transport of energy across them. In their paper published in Physical Review Letters, the researchers describe their experiments and why they believe their findings will be helpful to other researchers.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2TSbA0O

Laser pulses light the way to tuning topological materials for spintronics and quantum computing

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have discovered a means of controlling the surface conductivity of a three-dimensional (3-D) topological insulator, a type of material that has potential applications in spintronic devices and quantum computing.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2SC7nSB

CMS gets first result using largest-ever LHC data sample

Just under three months after the final proton–proton collisions from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)'s second run (Run 2), the CMS collaboration has submitted its first paper based on the full LHC dataset collected in 2018 – the largest sample ever collected at the LHC – and data collected in 2016 and 2017. The findings reflect an immense achievement, as a complex chain of data reconstruction and calibration was necessary to be able to use the data for analysis suitable for a scientific result.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2EcUgyg

Spintronics by 'straintronics': Switching superferromagnetism with electric-field induced strain

Switching magnetic domains in magnetic memory normally requires magnetic fields generated by electrical currents, hence requiring large amounts of electrical power. Now, teams from France, Spain and Germany have demonstrated the feasibility of another approach at the nanoscale: "We can induce magnetic order on a small region of our sample by employing a small electric field instead of using magnetic fields," Dr. Sergio Valencia, HZB, says.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2N9BpH4

Gravitational waves will settle cosmic conundrum

Measurements of gravitational waves from approximately 50 binary neutron stars over the next decade will definitively resolve an intense debate about how quickly our universe is expanding, according to findings from an international team that includes University College London (UCL) and Flatiron Institute cosmologists.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2SUiwNG

Merging neutron stars: How cosmic events give insight into fundamental properties of matter

The opportunity to measure the gravitational waves of two merging neutron stars could offer answers to some of the fundamental questions about the structure of matter. At the extremely high temperatures and densities in the merger, scientists have conjectured a phase transition in which neutrons dissolve into their constituent quarks and gluons. In the current issue of Physical Review Letters, two international research groups report on their calculations of what the signature of such a phase transition in a gravitational wave would look like.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2SxT5Ck

Multimaterial 3-D laser microprinting using an integrated microfluidic system

Complex, three-dimensional (3-D) structures are regularly constructed using a reliable commercial method of 3-D laser micro- and nanoprinting. In a recent study, Frederik Mayer and co-workers in Germany and Australia have presented a new system in which a microfluidic chamber could be integrated on a laser 3-D lithography device to construct multimaterial structures using more than one constituent material. The new method can eliminate the existing need to transfer between lithography techniques and chemistry labs for a streamlined manufacturing process.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2DFbrqC

Upgrading ALICE: What's in store for the next two years?

With massive red doors weighing 350 tonnes each, it takes more than uttering "open sesame" to open the ALICE detector. Behind the doors lie the inner workings of a unique detector built to study the conditions of matter moments after the birth of the Universe, conditions which are recreated in the LHC.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2Svh4lI

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of hydrogen and helium

For the first time scientists measured the vibrational structure of hydrogen and helium atoms by X-rays. The results disprove the misconception that it's impossible to obtain X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of hydrogen and helium, the two lightest elements of the Periodic Table. This was thought to be the case due to low probabilities of electron ejection from these elements induced by X-rays.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2DxJroS

Researchers examine puzzling sizes of extremely light calcium isotopes

Michigan State University researchers have measured for the first time the nuclei of three protein-rich calcium isotopes, according to a new paper published in Nature Physics.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2WQVwyt

Innovative method enables new view into Earth's interior

An innovative X-ray method enables new high-pressure investigations of samples under deep mantle conditions. The technique, which was developed by a team led by Georg Spiekermann from DESY, the German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ and the University of Potsdam, extends the range of instruments available to high-pressure researchers. Successful tests of the new method at DESY's X-ray light source PETRA III support the idea that heavy elements have to accumulate in magmas so that they could be stable at depths of Earth's lower mantle. The scientists present their work in the journal Physical Review X.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2Gmn4GW

First direct view of an electron's short, speedy trip across a border

Electrons flowing across the boundary between two materials are the foundation of many key technologies, from flash memories to batteries and solar cells. Now researchers have directly observed and clocked these tiny cross-border movements for the first time, watching as electrons raced seven-tenths of a nanometer – about the width of seven hydrogen atoms – in 100 millionths of a billionth of a second.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2DvJDF9

Supercomputing propels jet atomization research for industrial processes

Whether it is designing the most effective method for fuel injection in engines, building machinery to water acres of farmland, or painting a car, humans rely on liquid sprays for countless industrial processes that enable and enrich our daily lives.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2Ss1jvO

New theory illustrates the development of the universe may be different than we thought

The history of the universe is predicated on the idea that, compared to today, the universe was hotter and more symmetric in its early phase. Scientists have thought this because of the Higgs Boson finding—the particle that gives mass to all other fundamental particles. The concept is that as one analyzes time back toward the Big Bang, the universe gets hotter and the Higgs phase changes to one where everything became massless. Now, physicists are presenting a new theory that suggests an alternative history of the universe is possible.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2I7bh0Z

New geometric model improves predictions of fluid flow in rock

Deep beneath the Earth's surface, oil and groundwater percolate through gaps in rock and other geologic material. Hidden from sight, these critical resources pose a significant challenge for scientists seeking to evaluate the state of such two-phase fluid flows. Fortunately, the combination of supercomputing and synchrotron-based imaging techniques enables more accurate methods for modeling fluid flow in large subsurface systems like oil reservoirs, sinks for carbon sequestration, and groundwater aquifers.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2RUJdNF

Lightning's electromagnetic fields may have protective properties

Lightning was the main electromagnetic presence in the Earth's atmosphere long before the invention of electricity. There are some 2,000 thunderstorms active at any given time, so humans and other organisms have been bathed in extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields for billions of years.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2tcjg2c

Sound and light trapped by disorder

Sound and light are crucial for our life and are essential in many energy, communication and information technologies. Their interaction allows many fundamental observations in physics, from the detection of cosmic gravitational waves to the cooling of quantum systems into their quantum ground state. However, their interaction may be subtle and weak. Enhancing their interaction requires confining both waves at the same place which is a considerable technological challenge.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2I1vIfL

New measurements of exotic form of magnesium suggest surprising shape-shift

Just over a decade ago scientists pushed magnesium atoms to new limits, jamming extra neutrons into their nuclei toward—and possibly reaching—the maximum limit for this element.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2HWYFJF

Discovering new particles using black holes

Some theories that go beyond the Standard Model of particle physics predict the existence of new ultralight particles, with masses much below the lightest known particles in nature. When these particles have very weak interactions with ordinary matter, they are hard to detect by particle colliders and dark matter detectors. However, as a new paper by physicists Daniel Baumann and Horng Sheng Chia from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) together with Rafael Porto from DESY (Hamburg) shows, such particles could be detectable in gravitational wave signals originating from merging black holes. The research was published in Physical Review D this week.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2WMCARo

Scientists simulate a black hole in a water tank

Certain phenomena that occur in black holes but cannot be directly observed in astronomic investigations can be studied by means of a laboratory simulation. This is possible due to a peculiar analogy between processes that are characteristic of black holes and hydrodynamic processes. The common denominator is the similarity of wave propagation in both cases.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2ULBBza

A step closer to conducting top-level research in physics

Experiments in astrophysics and nuclear and particle physics are crucial to analyse how the universe works. These usually require complex detector systems whose design and testing necessitate a deep understanding of a variety of topics in physics, electronics and computing. Thanks to the EU-funded PaRaDeSEC project, a research institute in Croatia has taken a major step in strengthening its potential for the development, testing and construction of research equipment for nuclear, particle and astroparticle physics experiments.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2Gt1obs

Scientists discover new type of magnet

A team of scientists has discovered the first robust example of a new type of magnet—one that holds promise for enhancing the performance of data storage technologies.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2t9kgUR

Decentralized systems are more efficient at reaching a target when its components are not overly capable

A team of researchers including Neil Johnson, a professor of physics at the George Washington University, has discovered that decentralized systems work better when the individual parts are less capable.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2HXRK2I

Electron-gun simulations explain the mechanisms of high-energy cosmic rays

A new study published in EPJ D provides a rudimentary model for simulating cosmic rays' collisions with planets by looking at the model of electrons detached from a negative ion using photons. In this work, Chinese physicists have for the first time demonstrated that they can control the dynamics of negative ion detachment via photons, or photodetachment, on a moving surface.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2WLfryQ

New physical effect demonstrated after 40 year search

A new physical effect has been demonstrated at the University of Bath after 40 years of pursuit by physicists around the world, which could lead to advancements in chemical manufacturing efficiency, miniaturisation and quality control in personalised pharmaceuticals.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2Gt94Kw

Solving a mystery: A new model for understanding how certain nuclei split

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology have extended an existing mathematical model so that it can be used to more accurately predict the products of fission reactions.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2GqNRkt

Programmable transparent organic luminescent tags–writing with light

Luminescent emission in the form of phosphorescence commonly occurs in daily life as a result of a quantum mechanically small transition probability. A luminescent emission lifetime can last from microseconds to several hours. Popularly known for its use in glow-in-the-dark products and as emergency sign illuminants in public buildings, it is also a practical method for information storage, including stamp detection and verification. While easy and cost-effective fabrication methods presently exist to engineer phosphorescence systems using organic emitters, achieving visible organic phosphorescence under ambient conditions in lab for industrial translation is challenging.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2WKeBSN

Theoretical model may help solve molecular mystery

Spintronics is promising for future low-power electronic devices. Spin is a quantum-mechanical property of electrons that can best be imagined as electrons spinning around their own axes, causing them to behave like small compass needles. A current of electron spins could be used in electronic devices. However, to generate a suitable spin current, you need a relatively large magnet. An alternative method that uses a special type of molecule has been proposed, but the big question is whether it works. University of Groningen Ph.D. student Xu Yang has constructed a theoretical model that describes how to test this new method.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2HTOOo0

Visualization of regions of electromagnetic wave-plasma interactions surrounding the Earth

Researchers have investigated wave-particle interactions between energetic electrons and chorus waves evolving in the space surrounding the Earth using the scientific satellite Arase and, simultaneously, transient auroral flashes by the ground-based global observation network. The investigation visualized asymmetric spatial development of wave-particle interaction regions on the order of sub-seconds. This is expected to contribute to the safe and secure exploration of space by establishing hazard maps of the space electromagnetic environment.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2t5Y3qP

Physicists uncover the topological origin of surface electromagnetic waves

In work that provides insights for several areas of wave physics, including Maxwell electromagnetism, topological quantum states, and plasmonics/metamaterials, scientists have shown that the well-known surface electromagnetic waves at interfaces between homogeneous isotropic media, obtained within classical Maxwell's electromagnetism, also have a purely topological origin, similar to quantum topological states.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2Sm9Gbq

Invisible tags: Physicists write, read and erase using light

A team of physicists headed by Professor Sebastian Reineke of TU Dresden has developed a new method of storing information in fully transparent plastic foils. Their innovative idea has been published in Science Advances.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2SsMIzs

Explaining a universe composed of matter

The universe consists of a massive imbalance between matter and antimatter. Antimatter and matter are actually the same, but have opposite charges, but there's hardly any antimatter in the observable universe, including the stars and other galaxies. In theory, there should be large amounts of antimatter, but the observable universe is mostly matter

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2MOgzgz

Ceramic holds promise for greener optical devices

A lead-free ceramic that could be used in applications ranging from optical sensors and switches to creams for protecting against ultraviolet (UV) light has been developed by A*STAR researchers.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2HQfPZs

Meteorite strikes in town in western Cuba

Residents and tourists in a town in western Cuba saw a flare pass through the sky and heard an explosion Friday in what officials said was a meteorite strike.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2GnghvX

Adaptive models capture complexity of the brain and behavior

For the scientists that study animal behavior, even the simplest roundworm poses huge challenges. The movement of squirming worms, flocking birds and walking humans changes from moment to moment, in ways that the naked eye can't catch. But now, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam have developed a way to parse this dynamic behavior into digestible chunks.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2CZA9Sk

Current generation via quantum proton transfer

NIMS and Hokkaido University jointly discovered that proton transfer in electrochemical reactions is governed by the quantum tunneling effect (QTE) under the specific conditions. In addition, they made a first ever observation of the transition between the quantum and classical regimes in electrochemical proton transfer by controlling potential. These results indicated the involvement of QTE in electrochemical proton transfer, a subject of a long-lasting debate, and may accelerate basic research leading to the development of highly efficient electrochemical energy conversion systems based on quantum mechanics.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2Ggn6PI

Magnetic graphene switches between insulator and conductor

Researchers have found that certain ultra-thin magnetic materials can switch from insulator to conductor under high pressure, a phenomenon that could be used in the development of next-generation electronics and memory storage devices.

from General Physics News - Science News, Physics News, Physics, Material Sciences, Science http://bit.ly/2sXGJ7g