A new way to control atomic interactions

In a new study, Stanford researchers demonstrate how to manipulate atoms so they interact with an unprecedented degree of control. Using precisely delivered light and magnetic fields, the researchers programmed a straight line of atoms into treelike shapes, a twisted loop called a Möbius strip and other patterns.

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Experimental evidence for long-distance electrodynamic intermolecular forces

While classical and quantum electrodynamics present the existence of dipole-dipole long-range electrodynamics forces, they remain to be experimentally observed. The discovery of completely new and unanticipated forces that are present between biomolecules have considerable impact to understand the dynamics of molecular machines at work within living organisms. In a new report now published in Science Advances, Mathias Lechelon and a research team at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) France conducted two independent experiments based on different physical effects, which they detected via fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and terahertz spectroscopy, respectively, to demonstrate experimental activation of resonant electrodynamic intermolecular forces. The outcomes provided unprecedented experimental proof-of-principle of a physical phenomenon with importance in biology. According to the study, aside from thermal fluctuations that randomly drove molecular motion, resonant and selective electrodynamic forces contributed to molecular encounters in crowded cellular spaces.

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Breakthrough discovery in light interactions with nanoparticles paves the way for advances in optical computing

Computers are an indispensable part of our daily lives, and the need for ones that can work faster, solve complex problems more efficiently, and leave smaller environmental footprints by minimizing the required energy for computation is increasingly urgent. Recent progress in photonics has shown that it's possible to achieve more efficient computing through optical devices that use interactions between metamaterials and light waves to apply mathematical operations of interest on the input signals, and even solve complex mathematical problems. But to date, such computers have required a large footprint and precise, large-area fabrication of the components, which, because of their size, are difficult to scale into more complex networks.

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Reviving a failed network through microscopic interventions

Networks are systems comprising many components that interact with one another through a collection of connections, nodes and links. In a well-functioning brain, neural networks assemble the cellular components needed for sensory, motor and cognitive functions. In an active human gut, "good" bacteria help keep "bad" bacteria in check.

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Radio-frequency pulse enables association of triatomic molecules in an ultracold gas

The three-body system is already a formidable puzzle in classical physics, not to mention the quantum state three-body system. But what if scientists can synthesize triatomic molecules under quantum constraints? It could serve as an appropriate platform to study three-body potential energy surface which is important but difficult to calculate.

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Researchers simulate important structural elements of the pion

When it comes to describing the fundamental structure and composition of matter, the research field of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) comes into play. With the help of QCD, the strong interaction—one of the four fundamental forces of physics—between the elementary particles of quarks and gluons can be described in hadrons. Hadrons are subatomic particles held together by the strong interaction. The best-known examples are neutrons and protons (so-called baryons), and the lesser-known pion (a so-called meson) is also a hadron. "To a first approximation, the pions are the driving particles behind the strong interaction," says the physicist Urs Wenger, professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Bern.

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New simulations refine axion mass, refocusing dark matter search

Physicists searching—unsuccessfully—for today's most favored candidate for dark matter, the axion, have been looking in the wrong place, according to a new supercomputer simulation of how axions were produced shortly after the Big Bang 13.6 billion years ago.

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ATLAS and CMS collaborations chase the invisible with the Higgs boson

The Higgs boson lives for an extremely short time before it transforms, or "decays," into other particles. It is through the detection of some of these decay products that the unique particle has first been—and continues to be—spotted in particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

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Study sheds light on axion dark matter

Scientists from Durham University and Kings College London have presented a theoretical review in a new study strongly supporting the search for axion dark matter.

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Sensor breakthrough paves way for groundbreaking map of world under Earth surface

An object hidden below ground has been located using quantum technology—a long-awaited milestone with profound implications for industry, human knowledge and national security.

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Producing medical isotopes at extreme energy density

Molybdenum (Mo-99) plays a seminal role in the diagnosis of cancer and other diseases. After a few hours, the radioisotope decays to produce Technetium-99m, which is used in the imaging procedures needed to examine millions of people around the world every year. The current fission-based process has many challenges like the aging reactors and the environmental impact of the process. That is why researchers are searching for alternative methods of production. At the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), the European SMART collaboration has now successfully tested the production of Mo-99 with the help of the superconducting linear accelerator ELBE.

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Fish generate movable pairs of vortices to propel them forward like body waves

Swimming in complex underwater environments, fish are unmatched when it comes to motion control and flexibility. For decades, researchers have been inspired to copy nature's most gifted swimmers to optimize underwater vehicle propulsion and maneuverability.

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Two teams couple remote ions using a wire conductor

Two teams of researchers working independently have succeeded in coupling remotely located ions using a wire conductor. Both teams showed that individual particles can sense one another through the mirrored charges they generate—in this case, through a metal wire. In the first effort, a team at the University of California at Berkeley connected two ions over a small span and slowed the cooling in one by cooling the other. In the second effort, an international team of researchers successfully cooled a second ion by cooling the first and applying a resonator to the wire. The first team published their results in the journal Physical Review Letters; the second team published their work in the journal Nature.

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How to look thousands of kilometers deep into the Earth

Researchers led by Sergey Lobanov from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences have developed a new method to measure the density of silicon dioxide (SiO2) glass, one of the most important materials in industry and geology, at pressures of up to 110 gigapascals, 1.1 million times higher than normal atmospheric pressure. Instead of employing highly focused X-rays at a synchrotron facility, they used a white laser beam and a diamond anvil cell. The researchers report on their new and simple method in the current issue of Physical Review Letters.

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How world's most precise clock could transform fundamental physics

Einstein's theory of general relativity holds that a massive body like Earth curves space-time, causing time to slow as you approach the object—so a person on top of a mountain ages a tiny bit faster than someone at sea level.

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Time and beauty reveal the physics of human perceptions

Adrian Bejan, the J.A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University, has published a new book titled "Time and Beauty: Why Time Flies and Beauty Never Dies." This is Bejan's fourth book written for a general audience that uses his concept of constructal law—the tendency of all systems to evolve towards easier access to flow—to explain everyday phenomena that aren't traditionally tied to physics. The book was published in early February 2022 by World Scientific.

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Vortex microscope sees more than ever before

Understanding the nitty gritty of how molecules interact with each other in the real, messy, dynamic environment of a living body is a challenge that must be overcome in order to understand a host of diseases, such as Alzheimer's.

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Researchers identify mechanism by which fatigue cracks grow

The reason most structures fail isn't due to shoddy material or violent impact. It's something far simpler, smaller and even dull: prolonged, low-amplitude fatigue.

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Examining the results of new dark matter searches by the PandaX-4T and ADMX collaborations

Physicists have predicted the existence of dark matter, a material that does not absorb, emit or reflect light, for decades. While there is now significant evidence hinting to the existence of dark matter in the universe, as it was never directed detected before its composition remains unknown.

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JILA atomic clocks measure Einstein's general relativity at millimeter scale

JILA physicists have measured Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, or more specifically, the effect called time dilation, at the smallest scale ever, showing that two tiny atomic clocks, separated by just a millimeter or the width of a sharp pencil tip, tick at different rates.

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Ultraprecise atomic clock poised for new physics discoveries

University of Wisconsin–Madison physicists have made one of the highest performance atomic clocks ever, they announced Feb. 16 in the journal Nature.

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Einstein's relativity theory passes strict test based on LHAASO observation

Researchers from the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences examined the validity of the theory of relativity with the highest accuracy in a study entitled "Exploring Lorentz Invariance Violation from Ultrahigh-Energy γRays Observed by LHAASO," which was published in the latest issue of Physical Review Letters.

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BESIII reports new measurement of R ratio

The BESIII Collaboration has measured the R ratio in the low center-of-mass (c.m.) energy region. The results were published online in Physics Review Letters.

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Time crystals that persist indefinitely at room temperature could have applications in precision timekeeping

We have all seen crystals, whether a simple grain of salt or sugar, or an elaborate and beautiful amethyst. These crystals are made of atoms or molecules repeating in a symmetrical three-dimensional pattern called a lattice, in which atoms occupy specific points in space. By forming a periodic lattice, carbon atoms in a diamond, for example, break the symmetry of the space they sit in. Physicists call this "breaking symmetry."

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Theory shows baryogenesis requirement could drive the contribution of primordial black holes to dark matter

While many studies have hinted at the existence of dark matter, a material that does not absorb, reflect or emit light, this elusive substance has not been directly observed so far. Over the past few decades, many teams worldwide have thus theorized about its possible properties and composition in the hope to identify possible strategies for detecting it in the universe.

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Surprising complexity in simple particle model of composite materials

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used computer simulations to model how a composite material reacts to loading. They studied a particle model of a pillar of stiffer material in a soft matrix, finding a concentration of force around the pillar with a broadness that differed from theory. The team found this was due to subtle changes in density near the pillar, a new principle to be considered in composite material design.

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Neutrinos are lighter than 0.8 electronvolts: Experiment limits neutrino mass with unprecedented precision

The international KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN), located at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has broken an important barrier in neutrino physics that is relevant for both particle physics and cosmology. Based on data published in the journal Nature Physics, a new upper limit of 0.8 electronvolt (eV) for the mass of the neutrino has been obtained. This first push into the sub-eV mass scale of neutrinos by a model-independent laboratory method allows KATRIN to constrain the mass of these "lightweights of the universe" with unprecedented precision.

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Study introduces the intrinsic superconducting diode effect

In 2020, Prof. Teruo Ono and his colleagues at Kyoto University reported the very first observation of a magnetically controllable, superconducting diode effect in an artificial superlattice. Their findings, published in Nature, paved the way for other studies aimed at moving towards the fabrication of non-dissipative electronic circuits.

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Study describes challenges and opportunities for detection of high-frequency gravitational waves

Electromagnetic (EM) waves and gravitational waves are the only available means to study the Universe on a large scale. For millennia, only the former could be used, in naked-eye astronomical observations by the ancients based on the reception of visible light, or present-day super telescopes operating in various bands of the EM spectrum, from radio waves to gamma rays.

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Researchers reveal 3D structure and evolution of magnetic islands in fast magnetic reconnection

A joint research team has found the formation of magnetic islands with the twisted structure in the current sheet during the fast magnetic reconnection for the first time.

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Ski jump: Flying or falling with style?

If you or I jump in the air as high as possible, we can stay off the ground for about half a second. Michael Jordan could stay aloft for almost one second. While there are many events at the Winter Olympics that feature athletes performing feats of athleticism and strength while high in the air, none blur the line between jumping and flying quite as much as the ski jump.

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A proposal to use electric charges to encourage raindrops to form in clouds

A quartet of researchers, three with the University of Reading, the other with the University of Oxford, reports evidence that sending an electric charge into a rain-free cloud could result in the formation of raindrops. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, A, M. H. P. Ambaum, T. Auerswald, R. Eaves and R. G. Harrison describe their calculations showing that altering the electrostatic charge in moisture-laden clouds could lead to greater variation in charge, resulting in the formation of raindrops.

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A new paradigm to break the electromagnetic reciprocity in 3D bulk metamaterials

Transistors based on semiconductor materials are widely used electronic components with many remarkable properties. For instance, they have a nonreciprocal electrical response, which means that they can isolate two parts of a circuit in such a way that one of the parts (the input section) can influence the other part (the output section), but not the other way around. In addition, transistors can amplify voltage signals, and thereby can supply energy to a system. Non-energy conserving interactions are usually referred to as "non-Hermitian."

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New findings proliferate questions about hypothetical axionic behavior in Weyl semimetals

The axion is a particle that physicists have hypothesized for decades. It has garnered attention in recent years for its potential involvement in dark matter. Their very existence, however, remains in dispute.

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New research bursts longstanding theory of bubble behavior

Bubbles are a cornerstone of many environmental and industrial processes such as the development of pharmaceutical products and mitigating the environmental impact of greenhouse gases. From algae biofuel to carbon sequestration in the ocean, these processes rely on researchers having a thorough understanding of how bubbles form, behave, and break apart in turbulence.

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Using a Floquet quantum detector to constrain axion-like dark matter

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Israel has used a Floquet quantum detector to constrain axion-like dark matter, hoping to reduce its parameter space. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their approach to constraining the theoretical dark matter particle as a means to learning more about its properties.

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Researchers use tiny magnetic swirls to generate true random numbers

Whether for use in cybersecurity, gaming or scientific simulation, the world needs true random numbers, but generating them is harder than one might think. But a group of Brown University physicists has developed a technique that can potentially generate millions of random digits per second by harnessing the behavior of skyrmions—tiny magnetic anomalies that arise in certain two-dimensional materials.

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The high-speed physics of how bobsled, luge and skeleton send humans hurtling faster than a car on the highway

Speed alone may be the factor that draws many sports fans to the bobsled, luge and skeleton events at this year's Beijing Winter Olympics. But beneath the thrilling descents of the winding, ice-covered track, a myriad of concepts from physics are at play. It is how the athletes react to the physics that ultimately determines the fastest runs from the rest of the pack.

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Increasing the accuracy of atomic force calculations with the space-warp coordinate transformation

Atomic forces are primarily responsible for the motion of atoms and their versatile arrangement patterns, which is unique for different types of materials. Atomic simulation methods are a popular choice for the calculation of these forces, the understanding of which can vastly enhance existing knowledge on how to improve a material's function at an atomic level.

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LHC experiments are stepping up their data processing game

Analyzing as many as one billion proton collisions per second or tens of thousands of very complex lead collisions is not an easy job for a traditional computer farm. With the latest upgrades of the LHC experiments due to come into action next year, their demand for data processing potential has significantly increased. As their new computational challenges might not be met using traditional central processing units (CPUs), the four large experiments are adopting graphics processing units (GPUs).

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A mathematical model may help explain how blood circulates in the brain

Research carried out by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) may help us better understand oscillations in blood flow that occur in the cerebrovascular network, thanks to a theoretical model that allows the flow and accumulation of fluid (in this case, blood) to be taken into account.

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Novel method simulates tens of thousands of bubbles in foamy flows

Bubbles aren't just for bath time. Bubbles, specifically bubbles in foamy flows, are critical for many industrial processes, including the production of food and cosmetics and drug development and delivery. But the behavior of these foamy flows is notoriously difficult to compute because of the sheer number of bubbles involved.

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Assessing and optimizing the quality of sensor networks

Rather than using a single, centralized sensor to gather data, many experiments deploy multiple sensors in complex networks. This offers numerous advantages: including higher sensitivities and resolutions in experimental measurements, and the ability to catch and correct errors more effectively. Yet with all the complexities involved in managing each sensor, and collecting all of their data streams at once, it can be extremely challenging to determine how the sensors should be arranged to obtain optimal results. Through new research published in EPJ D, Joseph Smiga at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz proposes a new way to quantify the quality of sensor networks, and uses his methods to suggest improvements to existing experiments.

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Dark matter travelling through stars could produce potentially detectable shock waves

Dark matter, a hypothetical material that does not absorb, emit or reflect light, is thought to account for over 80 percent of the matter in the universe. While many studies have indirectly hinted at its existence, so far, physicists have been unable to directly detect dark matter and thus to confidently determine what it consists of.

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The impact of learning from ancestors on the rate of natural selection

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo studied the impact of learning from ancestors on the rate of natural selection, and found that the evolutionary process can be accelerated, which may assist in the design of future evolutionary algorithms.

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