Scientists discover that like-charged particles can sometimes attract
From a young age, we are taught in school that like charges – whether both positive or both negative – will repel each other, while opposite charges attract. It turns out that under certain conditions,...
View ArticleSticky materials un-stick themselves in jumps
Researchers in Germany and the US have found a new explanation for why soft solids stick to surfaces easily but are difficult to remove. Though experts had long hypothesized that various chemical...
View ArticleNew ion trapping approach could help quantum computers scale up
Trapping ions with static magnetic and electric fields instead of an oscillating electromagnetic field could make it easier to use ions as building blocks for quantum computers. The new approach, which...
View ArticleFunctional ultrasound imaging provides real-time feedback during spinal surgery
Damage to the spinal cord, whether by injury or disease, can have devastating impacts on health, including loss of motor or sensory functions, or chronic back pain, which affects an estimated 540...
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Molecular imaging technique could improve breast cancer screening
Mammography is a widely employed and effective tool for early detection of breast cancer, but dense breasts pose a significant challenge in cancer screening. Not only does dense breast tissue increase...
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Entangled photons enhance adaptive optical imaging
Guide star-free imaging Image of a bee head acquired with a wide-field transmission microscope in the presence of aberrations (left) and after correction (right). The image inserts represent quantum...
View ArticleNeutron mirror gets a boost from boron carbide
A new approach for fabricating multilayer neutron mirrors has been developed by researchers in Sweden. By adding boron carbide to the iron and silicon layers of their mirror, Anton Zubayer at Linköping...
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All-optical space-air-sea communication network makes its debut
Researchers in China have demonstrated a prototype communications network that can transmit and receive data through space, air and water entirely at optical wavelengths. If successfully scaled up,...
View ArticleQuasiparticles called merons appear in a synthetic antiferromagnet for the...
An international team of researchers has identified quasiparticles called merons in a synthetic antiferromagnet for the first time. The result could lead to new concepts for spintronics devices, which...
View ArticleREBCO high-temperature superconductors are ideal for tokamak magnets, study...
An extensive study done in the US has confirmed that magnets made from rare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) high-temperature superconductors are ideal for confining plasma in future fusion...
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Planet-gobbling stars are more common than we thought
Om nom nom: A terrestrial planet being captured by a twin star (Courtesy: untouchable/OPENVERSE) Roughly one in 12 main-sequence binary stars may have ingested a planet at some point in its past, say...
View ArticleRoll-to-roll-fabricated hybrid perovskite solar cells reach record efficiencies
Large-area solar cells made from hybrid perovskite materials have taken a step closer to commercialization thanks to researchers in Australia and the UK who fabricated the cells with industrial methods...
View ArticleBaryon acoustic oscillations hint that dark energy may have changed over time
Preliminary observations made by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) hint that the acceleration of the expansion of the universe has not been constant – in other words, dark energy has...
View ArticleHeat capacity measurements reveal Majorana fermions
Researchers in Japan and Korea claim to have found “conclusive evidence” for the existence of theoretically-proposed particles called Majorana fermions. The evidence for these long-sought-after...
View ArticleGetting closer to measuring quantum gravity
The first technique capable of measuring the pull of gravity on a particle just microns in diameter could aid the quest for a quantum theory of gravity – a longstanding goal in physics. The new...
View ArticleNew method pinpoints the 3D location of cold atoms in a lattice
A new imaging technique gives scientists the 3D position of individual atoms within an optical lattice for the first time, surpassing previous methods that provide only 2D images. Developed by a team...
View ArticleDielectric laser accelerator creates focused electron beam
A new laser-driven device that can both confine and accelerate electrons over distances of about a millimetre has been developed by researchers in the US. By combining advances in nanoscience, lasers...
View ArticleBacterial nanowires make an electrical grid in the soil
Because there’s not much oxygen deep underground, the bacteria that live there have evolved other ways to get rid of the electrons they produce when they “breathe”. One of these workarounds involves...
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Giant quantum tornado behaves like a black hole in miniature
A novel experimental platform known as a giant quantum vortex mimics certain behaviours of black holes, giving scientists an opportunity to observe the physics of these astrophysical structures up...
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Milky Way’s supermassive black hole has a surprising magnetic personality
Surprising similarity: the magnet field surrounding Sagittarius A* (left) is very similar to that of the field surrounding the supermassive black hole at the heart of M87 (right). Both images were...
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