ScienceDaily Physics News Feeds

The demonstration that a tiny cloud of atoms can be turned from a heat engine into a cooler by cranking up the interactions between the particles provides both deep fundamental insight and a possible template for more efficient thermoelectric devices.

New experiments provide evidence for a decades-old theory that, in the quantum regime, an electron behaves as if it is made of two particles: one particle that carries its negative charge and the other that gives it a magnet-like property called spin. The team detected evidence for this theory in materials called quantum spin liquids.

A black hole permanently scrambles information that can’t be recovered with any quantum machine learning algorithm, shedding new light on the classic Hayden-Preskill thought experiment.

A team of physicists and chemists has developed a highly sensitive sensor, which was made possible by a new heterostructure consisting of atomically precise graphene nanoribbons.

Scientists have demonstrated that other physicists’ recent ‘discovery’ of the field effect in superconductors is nothing but hot electrons after all. A team of scientists have found new and compelling evidence that the observation of the field effect in superconducting metals by another group can be explained by a simple mechanism involving the injection of the electrons, without the need for novel physics.

Can you feel the heat? To a thermal camera, which measures infrared radiation, the heat that we can feel is visible, like the heat of a traveler in an airport with a fever or the cold of a leaky window or door in the winter. Researchers report a theoretical way of mimicking thermal objects or making objects invisible to thermal measurements.

Researchers have designed a remarkably fast engine that taps into a new kind of fuel — information. This engine converts the random jiggling of a microscopic particle into stored energy. It could lead to significant advances in the speed and cost of computers and bio-nanotechnologies.

To deliver reliable mechanical and electric properties, nanomaterials must have consistent, predictable shapes and surfaces, as well as scalable production techniques. Engineers are solving this problem by vaporizing metals within a magnetic field to direct the reassembly of metal atoms into predictable shapes.

Quantum mechanics can be used to create more stable and more easily produced organic solar cells.

A novel technique for studying vortices in quantum fluids has been developed by physicists. Turbulence in quantum systems, for example in superfluid helium 4, takes place on microscopic scales, and so far scientists have not had tools with sufficient precision to probe eddies this small. But now the team, working at temperature of a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero, has harnessed nanoscience to allow the detection of single quantum vortices.

Researchers have devised a novel technique to ‘flip’ the optical wavefront of an image for both polarizations simultaneously, so that it can be transmitted through a multimode fiber without distortion.

The promise of a quantum internet depends on the complexities of harnessing light to transmit quantum information over fiber optic networks. A potential step forward was reported today by researchers who developed integrated chips that can generate light particles on demand and without the need for extreme refrigeration.

An international team of researchers came closer to unraveling the complicated optical response of wide-bandgap semiconductor multiple quantum wells and how atomic-scale lattice vibration can generate free space terahertz emission. Their work provides a significant push towards the application of laser terahertz emission microscopes to nano-seismology of wide-bandgap quantum devices.

Physics researchers discover that assembling 2D materials into a 3D arrangement does not just result in ‘thicker’ 2D materials but instead produces entirely new materials. The nanomesh technologically is simple to produce and offers tunable material properties to meet the demands of future applications. The team’s next goal is to use the nanomesh on Silicon (Si) waveguides to develop quantum optical communications.

A new experiment shows that the more energy consumed by a clock, the more accurate its timekeeping. This is the first time that a measurement has been made of the entropy — or heat loss — generated by a minimal clock tens of nanometers thick and 1.5 millimeters long. Understanding the thermodynamic cost involved in timekeeping is a central step along the way in the development of future technologies, as systems approach the quantum realm.

In quantum mechanics, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle dictates that the position and speed of an object cannot both be known fully precisely at the same time. Researchers now show that two vibrating drumheads, the size of a human hair, can be prepared in a quantum state which evades the uncertainty principle.

Physicists have succeeded in generating an unusual quantum state in charge carrier complexes that are closely linked to light particles and located in ultrathin semiconductor sheets. This process produces light similar to that of a laser. The phenomenon could be used to create the smallest possible solid-state lasers.

Like conductors of a spooky symphony, researchers have ‘entangled’ two small mechanical drums and precisely measured their linked quantum properties. Entangled pairs like this might someday perform computations and transmit data in large-scale quantum networks.

Scientists experimentally verify the existence of exotic surface conduction states in topological semimetals (TSMs), materials that lie at the boundary between conductors and insulators, by performing voltage scans of these surface states on a thin film sample of a TSM. The findings can pave the way for future study and exploitation of such conduction states in realizing novel, quantum transport phenomena.

Engineers have developed a technique to repartition carbon resources from carbohydrates to lipids in microalgae. It is hoped that this method can be applied to biofuel production.

Researchers have demonstrated a record-high laser pulse intensity of over 1023 W/cm2 using a petawatt laser. It took more than a decade to reach this laser intensity. These ultrahigh intensity light pulses will enable exploration of complex interactions between light and matter in ways not possible before.

Ring microlasers are eyed as potential light sources for photonic applications, but they first must be made more powerful. Combining multiple microlasers into an array solves only half of the problem, as this adds noisy ‘modes’ to the resulting laser light. Now, thanks to the math behind supersymmetry theory, engineers have achieved single-mode lasing from such an array. By calculating the necessary properties for ‘superpartner’ arrays, they can cancel out the unwanted extra modes.

Researchers across the dark matter community that have begun to wonder if they are looking for the right type of dark matter. They have proposed a new way to look for the particles that might make up dark matter by repurposing existing tabletop sensor technology.

When light hits certain molecules, it dislodges electrons that then move from one location to another, creating areas of positive and negative charge. This ‘charge transfer’ is highly important in many areas of chemistry, photosynthesis and semiconductor devices and solar cells. A new study reveals how a molecule’s structure changes as charge is redistributed, with some chemical bonds getting longer and some shorter, before finally relaxing back into its original state.

An infrared imager developed by engineers could be used to see through smog and fog; easily locate blood vessels on a patient; and see through silicon wafers to inspect the quality of electronic boards. It is also slim, compact and less costly to fabricate than similar technologies.

Researchers have discovered the most precise way to control individual ions using holographic optical engineering technology.

Using neural networks, researchers simulated vast, complex universes in a fraction of the time it takes with conventional methods.

Researchers have demonstrated how two interfering photons can bunch into various shapes. These complex shapes are beneficial for quantum technologies, such as performing fast photonic quantum computations and safe data transfer. The method opens new possibilities also for creating enhanced measurement and sensing techniques.

Researchers have imprinted freeform optics with a nanophotonic optical element called a metasurface to create AR/VR glasses that are not only compact and easy to wear, but deliver high quality optics without looking like ‘bug eyes.’

In material physics understanding how systems interact across the interfaces separating them is of central interest. But can physical models clarify similar concepts in living systems, such as cells? Physicists used the framework of disordered elastic systems to study the process of wound healing – the proliferation of cell fronts which eventually join to close a lesion. Their study identified the scales of the dominant interactions between cells which determine this process.

Engineers are using neural networks to accelerate predictions of how the microstructures of materials evolve. The machine-learning technique should speed the development of novel materials.

The future of particle acceleration has begun. Awake is a promising concept for a completely new method with which particles can be accelerated even over short distances. The basis for this is a plasma wave that accelerates electrons and thus brings them to high energies. A team now reports a breakthrough in this context. For the first time, they were able to precisely time the production of the proton microbunches that drive the wave in the plasma. This fulfills an important prerequisite for using the Awake technology for collision experiments.

Researchers have developed a method that allows for simulation and visualization of magnetic-field-induced electron currents inside gold nanoparticles. The method facilitates accurate analysis of magnetic field effects inside complex nanostructures in nuclear magnetic resonance measurements and establishes quantitative criteria for aromaticity of nanoparticles.

Researchers have uncovered a major cause of limitations to efficiency in a new generation of solar cells.

Scientists have developed an algorithm that provides valuable insights into the physics underlying quantum systems – paving the way for significant advances in quantum computation and sensing, and potentially turning a new page in scientific investigation.

Researchers have established an invaluable resource for those looking to discover new quantum systems.

The ability to turn on and off a physical process with just one photon is a fundamental building block for quantum photonic technologies. Realizing this in a chip-scale architecture is important for scalability. Researchers have demonstrated the use of ‘Rydberg states’ in solid state materials (previously shown in cold atom gases) to enhance nonlinear optical interactions to unprecedented levels in solid state systems.

Every day, the sun ejects large amounts of a hot particle soup known as plasma toward Earth where it can disrupt telecommunications satellites and damage electrical grids. Now, scientists have made a discovery that could lead to better predictions of this space weather and help safeguard sensitive infrastructure.

Scientists mapped the electronic states in an exotic superconductor. The maps point to the composition range necessary for topological superconductivity, a state that could enable more robust quantum computing.

Being able to build and control systems of quantum particles, which are among the smallest objects in the universe, is the key to developing quantum technology. That goal is now a step closer thanks to scientists who just figured out how to bring multiple molecules at once into a single quantum state — one of the most important goals in quantum physics.

Researchers demonstrate that magnetism and superconductivity can coexist in graphene, opening a pathway towards graphene-based topological qubits.

How acidic is a surface? Up until now, only average values could be determined. But in order to understand the chemical behavior of a surface, it is important to know how individual atoms in the surface might react. A new microscopy technique can now answer this question.

Researchers have used a nanoscale synthetic antiferromagnet to control the interaction between magnons — research that could lead to faster and more energy-efficient computers.

Researchers developed a machine-learning technique that uses an image to estimate the stresses and strains acting on a material. The advance could accelerate engineers’ design process by eliminating the need to solve complex equations.

New research has shown that silicon could be one of the most powerful materials for photonic informational manipulation – opening up new possibilities for the production of lasers and displays.

Researchers have discovered a new way to generate 2D superconductivity at an interface of an insulating oxide material, at high transition temperatures.

Nuclear physicists have made a new, highly accurate measurement of the thickness of the neutron ‘skin’ that encompasses the lead nucleus in experiments. The result, which revealed a neutron skin thickness of .28 millionths of a nanometer, has important implications for the structure and size of neutron stars.

An international team has discovered a previously unknown two-dimensional material by using modern high-pressure technology. The new material, beryllonitrene, consists of regularly arranged nitrogen and beryllium atoms. It has an unusual electronic lattice structure that shows great potential for applications in quantum technology.

Scientists are celebrating not just one but two milestones in the development of innovative plasma accelerators. A group of scientists used their accelerator to test a technique that allows the energy distribution of the electron beams produced to be kept particularly narrow. They also used artificial intelligence to allow the accelerator to optimize its own operation.

Scientists have developed a type of deception to calm unruly plasma and accelerate the harvesting on Earth of fusion energy.

Researchers offer conclusive research for understanding how bacteria found in copper mines convert toxic copper ions to stable single-atom copper. Their research demonstrates how copper-resistant bacterium from a copper mine in Brazil convert copper sulfate ions into zero-valent metallic copper.

Inspired by a theoretical model of particles moving around on a chessboard, new robot swarm research shows that, as magnetic interactions increase, dispersed ‘dumb robots’ can abruptly gather in large, compact clusters to accomplish complex tasks. Researchers report that these ‘BOBbots’ (behaving, organizing, buzzing bots) are also capable of collectively clearing debris that is too heavy for one alone to move, thanks to a robust algorithm.

Quantum systems consisting of several particles can be used to measure magnetic or electric fields more precisely. A young physicist has now proposed a new scheme for such measurements that uses a particular kind of correlation between quantum particles.

Although many organisms capture and respond to sunlight, enzymes – proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions – are rarely driven by light. A new study captures the full cycle of complex structural changes in an enzyme called FAP as it transforms a fatty acid into alkanes or alkenes.

Researchers have discovered a new way to control light emission from materials. While recent discoveries focused on manipulation of atomically-thin 2D materials, the new breakthrough can be used to stack technologically-relevant 3D materials at a twist angle. The discovery can be significant for applications in medicine, environmental or information technologies.

It’s a common sight: pelicans gliding along the waves, right by the shore. These birds make this kind of surfing look effortless, but actually the physics involved that give them a big boost are not simple. Researchers have recently developed a theoretical model that describes how the ocean, the wind and the birds in flight interact.

A new study is advancing scientists’ understanding of magneto-chiral dichroism. The research focuses on light-matter interactions in chiral materials under a magnetic field.

Researchers have captured an image showing the internal orbits, or spatial distribution, of particles in an exciton – a goal that had eluded scientists for almost a century.

As artificial intelligence has attracted interest, researchers are focused on understanding how the brain accomplishes cognition so they can construct systems with general intelligence comparable to humans’ intelligence. Researchers propose an approach to AI that focuses on integrating photonic components with superconducting electronics; using light for communication and complex electronic circuits for computation could enable artificial cognitive systems of scale and functionality beyond what can be achieved with either light or electronics alone.

Fiber optic technology is the holy grail of high-speed, long-distance telecommunications. Still, with the continuing exponential growth of internet traffic, researchers are warning of a capacity crunch. Researchers show how quantum-enhanced receivers could play a critical role in addressing this challenge. The scientists developed a method to enhance receivers based on quantum physics properties to dramatically increase network performance while significantly reducing the error bit rate and energy consumption.