Evidence for ‘quark coalescence’ found in LHC collisions
Physicists working on the LHCb experiment have seen evidence that “quark coalescence” plays a role in the evolution of quarks into hadrons following proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider...
View ArticleNeural prosthetic aims to boost memory
An electronic prosthetic system could help people with impaired memory – due to Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury or epilepsy – remember specific information. The new technology, being...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Novel superconducting cavity qubit pushes the limits of quantum coherence
Over the history of quantum computing, the coherence time of superconducting qubits – that is, the time during which they retain their quantum information – has improved drastically. One major...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Space-borne atoms herald new tests of Einstein’s equivalence principle
The motion of freely-falling bodies is independent of their composition. This is one of the foundations of Einstein’s Equivalence Principle (EEP), which underpins our modern understanding of gravity....
View ArticleCan a classical computer tell if a quantum computer is telling the truth?
Quantum computers can solve problems that would be impossible for classical machines, but this ability comes with a caveat: if a quantum computer gives you an answer, how do you know it’s correct? This...
View ArticlePhotonic metastructure does vector–matrix multiplication
A new silicon photonics platform that can do mathematical operations far more efficiently than previous designs has been unveiled by Nader Engheta and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania. The...
View ArticleModelling lung cells could help personalize radiotherapy
A new type of computer model that can reveal radiation damage at the cellular level could improve radiotherapy outcomes for lung cancer patients. Roman Bauer, a computational neuroscientist at the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sticky UV-sensitive tape makes 2D material transfers easier
A new type of sticky tape that is sensitive to ultraviolet light makes it easier and cheaper to transfer two-dimensional materials like graphene onto different surfaces. According to its Japan-based...
View ArticleSolid-state battery electrolyte makes a fast lithium-ion conductor
Researchers at the University of Liverpool, UK have developed a new solid-state battery electrolyte that conducts lithium ions so rapidly, it could compete with the liquid electrolytes found in today’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ultraviolet dual-comb spectroscopy system counts single photons
How it works: the top frequency comb is passed through a sample of interest and then into a beamsplitter. The bottom frequency comb operates at a slightly different pulse repetition frequency and is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New attosecond X-ray spectroscopy technique ‘freezes’ atomic nuclei in place
Scientists can now follow the movement of electrons and the ionization of molecules in real time thanks to a new attosecond X-ray spectroscopy technique. Like stop-motion photography, the technique...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Magnetic microbots show promise for treating aneurysms and brain tumours
Remote control Schematic showing (top panel) how microfibrebots can anchor to a blood vessel, navigate via helical propulsion, elongate to pass through narrow regions and aggregate to block blood flow....
View ArticleControllable Cooper pair splitter could separate entangled electrons on demand
Entangled particles – that is, those with quantum states that remain correlated regardless of the distance between them – are important for many quantum technologies. Devices called Cooper-pair...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mapping brain circuits reveals potential treatment targets for brain disorders
The brain’s frontal circuits play a vital role in controlling motor, cognitive and behavioural functions. Disruption of the fronto-subcortical circuits, which connect the frontal cortex in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Soap bubbles transform into lasers
Soap has long been a household staple, but scientists in Slovenia have now found a new use for it by transforming soap bubbles into tiny lasers. Working at the Jožef Stefan Institute and the University...
View ArticleNew metamaterial could make true one-way glass
A proposed new optical metamaterial could behave like true one-way glass thanks to the Tellegen effect, which connects a material’s response to light waves with its magnetization and polarization....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Could gravastars be nested inside one another like a Russian doll?
Alternative to black holes: physicists at Goethe University Frankfurt have calculated that a nested gravastar (nestar) could look like a matryoshka doll. (Courtesy: Daniel Jampolski and Luciano...
View ArticleCould lasers synthesize heavy elements produced in neutron-star mergers?
An astrophysical process that creates elements heavier than iron may be even more challenging to reproduce in the laboratory than was previously believed – but not impossible. This is the conclusion of...
View ArticleCompton camera measures gamma-ray polarization in nuclear physics experiment
A Compton camera has been used to measure the polarization of gamma rays in a nuclear physics experiment. This was done by a team led by Shintaro Go at Japans’s RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research....
View ArticleSpace weather phenomenon observed in the lab for the first time
Space weather events known as whistler mode chorus emissions have been observed in the laboratory for the first time. These emissions occur naturally within regions of space dominated by planetary...
View Article