How to Measure the Calories in a Candy Bar—With Physics!
Step one: Trick or treat. Step two: Get out your bomb calorimeter. (Yes, that is a real thing.).....»»
New study is first to use statistical physics to corroborate 1940s social balance theory
Most people have heard the famous phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Now, Northwestern University researchers have used statistical physics to confirm the theory that underlies this famous axiom. The study, "Proper network randomization is.....»»
Physicists pioneer new quantum sensing platform
Quantum sensors detect the smallest of environmental changes—for example, an atom reacting to a magnetic field. As these sensors "read" the unique behaviors of subatomic particles, they also dramatically improve scientists' ability to measure and d.....»»
Twisting and binding matter waves with photons in a cavity
Precisely measuring the energy states of individual atoms has been a historical challenge for physicists due to atomic recoil. When an atom interacts with a photon, the atom "recoils" in the opposite direction, making it difficult to measure the posi.....»»
Two small NASA satellites will measure soil moisture, volcanic gases
Two NASA pathfinding missions were recently deployed into low-Earth orbit, where they are demonstrating novel technologies for observing atmospheric gases, measuring freshwater, and even detecting signs of potential volcanic eruptions......»»
Researchers find unexpected roadblock to conductivity in Mott insulators
In the realm of condensed matter physics, few phenomena captivate physicists' curiosity as much as Mott insulators. According to traditional theory, this odd class of materials should be capable of conducting electricity, yet they behave mostly as in.....»»
Improved AI process could better predict water supplies
A new computer model uses a better artificial intelligence process to measure snow and water availability more accurately across vast distances in the West, information that could someday be used to better predict water availability for farmers and o.....»»
CERN gives green light to build new experiment to search for unknown particles
After many years of preparations, CERN has approved a new experiment: the Search for Hidden Particles (SHiP). Physicist Alexey Boyarsky was involved from the start. "We know there is physics that's missing and we aim to find it.".....»»
Generating graph states of atomic ensembles via photon-mediated entanglement
Graph states, a class of entangled quantum states that can be represented by graphs, have been the topic of numerous recent physics studies, due to their intriguing properties. These unique properties could make them particularly promising for quantu.....»»
ALICE gets the green light for new subdetectors
Two detector upgrades of ALICE, the dedicated heavy-ion physics experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), have recently been approved for installation during the next long shutdown of the LHC, which will take place from 2026 to 2028. The first o.....»»
Mapping the Milky Way"s magnetic field in 3D
We are all very familiar with the concept of the Earth's magnetic field. It turns out that most objects in space have magnetic fields but it's quite tricky to measure them. Astronomers have developed an ingenious way to measure the magnetic field of.....»»
Unveiling a new quantum frontier: Frequency-domain entanglement
Scientists have introduced a form of quantum entanglement known as frequency-domain photon number-path entanglement. This advance in quantum physics involves an innovative tool called a frequency beam splitter, which has the unique ability to alter t.....»»
Large Hadron Collider experiment zeroes in on magnetic monopoles
The late physicist Joseph Polchinski once said the existence of magnetic monopoles is "one of the safest bets that one can make about physics not yet seen." In its quest for these particles, which have a magnetic charge and are predicted by several t.....»»
Scientists say voluntary corporate emissions targets not enough to create real climate action
Companies' emissions reduction targets should not be the sole measure of corporate climate ambition, according to a new perspective paper......»»
Demonstration of heralded three-photon entanglement on a photonic chip
Photonic quantum computers are computational tools that leverage quantum physics and utilize particles of light (i.e., photons) as units of information processing. These computers could eventually outperform conventional quantum computers in terms of.....»»
Balancing AI and physics: Toward a learnable climate model
Artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing notable changes to atmospheric science, particularly with the introduction of large AI weather models like Pangu-Weather and GraphCast. However, alongside these advancements, questions have arisen about the al.....»»
Scientists tune the entanglement structure in an array of qubits
Entanglement is a form of correlation between quantum objects, such as particles at the atomic scale. The laws of classical physics cannot explain this uniquely quantum phenomenon, yet it is one of the properties that explain the macroscopic behavior.....»»
How studying trends in human lifespans can measure progress in addressing inequality
People are living longer lives compared to previous generations but, over the last few decades, there has been a hidden shift—they are passing away at increasingly similar ages......»»
Astrophysicists work toward unification of turbulence framework—weak-to-strong transition discovered in turbulence
Turbulence is ubiquitous in nature. It exists everywhere, from our daily lives to the distant universe, while being labeled as "the last great unsolved problem of classical physics" by Richard Feynman. Prof. Dr. Huirong Yan and her group from the Ins.....»»
Novel method could explore gluon saturation at the future electron-ion collider
The U.S. nuclear physics community is preparing to build the electron–ion collider (EIC), a flagship facility for probing the properties of matter and the strong nuclear force that holds matter together. The EIC will allow scientists to study how n.....»»
TikTok fears point to larger problem: Poor media literacy in the social media age
The U.S. government moved closer to banning the video social media app TikTok after the House of Representatives attached the measure to an emergency spending bill on Apr. 17, 2024. The House voted on each of the four components of the bill, and the.....»»