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Positronium gas is laser-cooled to one degree above absolute zero
Matter and antimatter Artist’s impression of positronium being instantaneously cooled in a vacuum by a series of laser pulses with rapidly varying wavelengths. (Courtesy: 2024 Yoshioka et al./CC-BY-ND)...
View ArticleMetasurface-enhanced camera performs hyperspectral and polarimetric imaging
A team of US-based researchers has developed an inexpensive and ultrathin metasurface that, when paired with a neural network, enables a conventional camera to capture detailed hyperspectral and...
View ArticleNickel langbeinite might be a new quantum spin liquid candidate
A nickel-based material belonging to the langbeinite family could be a new three-dimensional quantum spin liquid candidate, according to new experiments at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source in the UK....
View ArticleStructural battery is world’s strongest, say researchers
A prototype described as the world’s strongest functional structural battery has been unveiled by researchers in Sweden. The device has an elastic modulus that is much higher than any previous design...
View ArticleRotating cylinder amplifies electromagnetic fields
Physicists have observed the Zel’dovich effect in an electromagnetic system – something that was thought to be incredibly difficult to do until now. This observation, in a simplified induction...
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Fluctuations suppress condensation in 1D photon gas
Smooth transition The polymers applied to the reflective surface trap the photon gas in a parabola of light. The narrower this parabola is, the more one-dimensionally the gas behaves. (Artistic...
View ArticleNuclear clock ticks ever closer
Could a new type of clock potentially be more accurate than today’s best optical atomic clocks? Such a device is now nearing reality, thanks to new work by researchers at JILA and their collaborators...
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Camera takes inspiration from cats’ eyes to improve imaging performance
Features of feline eyes . (A, B) Illustration showing the camouflage-breaking ability of a feline under diverse light conditions. Illustrations of the tapetum lucidum in the retina (C) and the anatomy...
View ArticleSilk-on-graphene films line up for next-generation bioelectronics
Researchers have succeeded in growing a uniform 2D layer of silk protein fragments on a van der Waals substrate – in this case, graphene – for the first time. The feat should prove important for...
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Heart-on-a-chip reveals impact of spaceflight on cardiac health
Astronauts spending time in the harsh environment of space often experience damaging effects on their health, including a deterioration in heart function. Indeed, the landmark NASA Twins Study found...
View ArticleEnigmatic particle might be a molecular pentaquark
The enigmatic Ξ(2030) particle, once thought to consist of three quarks, may actually be a molecular pentaquark – an exotic hadron comprising five quarks. That is the conclusion of Chinese physicists...
View ArticleAluminium oxide reveals its surface secrets
Determining the surface structure of an insulating material is a difficult task, but it is important for understanding its chemical and physical properties. A team of researchers in Austria has now...
View ArticleMRI-linac keeps track of brain tumour changes during radiotherapy
Glioblastoma, the most common primary brain cancer, is treated with surgical resection where possible followed by chemoradiotherapy. Researchers at the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive...
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Electrical sutures accelerate wound healing
Surgical sutures are strong, flexible fibres used to close wounds caused by trauma or surgery. But could these stitches do more than just hold wounds closed? Could they, for example, be designed to...
View ArticleQuantum material detects tiny mechanical strains
A new sensor can detect mechanical strains that are more than an order of magnitude weaker than was possible with previously reported devices. Developed at Nanjing University, China, the sensor works...
View Article‘Mock asteroids’ deflected by X-rays in study that could help us protect Earth
For the first time, physicists in the US have done lab-based experiments that show how an asteroid could be deflected by powerful bursts of X-rays. With the help of the world’s largest high frequency...
View ArticleSpiders use physics, not chemistry, to cut silk in their webs
Spider silk is among the toughest of all biological materials, and scientists have long been puzzled by how spiders manage to cut it. Do they break it down by chemical means, using enzymes? Or do they...
View ArticleMountaintop observations of gamma-ray glow could shed light on origins of...
Research done at a mountaintop cosmic-ray observatory in Armenia has shed new light on how thunderstorms can create flashes of gamma rays by accelerating electrons. Further study of the phenomenon...
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Century-old photoelectric effect inspires a new search for quantum gravity
According to quantum mechanics, our universe is like a Lego set. All matter particles, as well as particles such as light that act as messengers between them, come in discrete blocks of energy. By...
View ArticleLiquid-crystal bifocal lens excels at polarization and edge imaging
A bifocal lens that can adjust the relative intensity of its two focal points using an applied electric field has been developed by Fan Fan and colleagues at China’s Hunan University. The lens features...
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