Nuclear physicists make first precision measurements of radium monofluoride
For the first time, nuclear physicists have made precision measurements of a short-lived radioactive molecule, radium monofluoride (RaF). In their study published in the journal Nature Physics, the researchers combined ion-trapping techniques with sp.....»»
Novel insights into fluorescent "dark states" illuminate ways forward for improved imaging
Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have reported a way to improve molecular scale distance measurements using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET). smFRET quantifies the excitation and emission properties o.....»»
High-precision measurements challenge our understanding of Cepheids
"Classical Cepheids" are a type of pulsating star that rhythmically brighten and dim over time. These pulsations help astronomers measure vast distances across space, which makes Cepheids crucial "standard candles" that help us understand the size an.....»»
Physicists report optical analog of Kármán vortex street
In a study published in Nature Communications, collaborating physicists from Singapore and the UK have reported an optical analog of the Kármán vortex street (KVS). This optical KVS pulse reveals fascinating parallels between fluid transport and en.....»»
A first look inside radium"s solid-state chemistry
For the first time in history, scientists have measured radium's bonding interactions with oxygen atoms in an organic molecule. Scientists have not measured this bonding before because radium-226 is available only in small amounts and it is highly ra.....»»
Video: Eclipse-making double-satellite Proba-3
Proba-3 is ESA's—and the world's—first precision formation flying mission. A pair of satellites will fly together relative to the sun so that one casts a precisely-controlled shadow onto the other, to create a prolonged solar eclipse in orbit......»»
Transparent organic–inorganic hybrid photoresist enables precision machining of optical microstructures
Researchers at Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) and BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. (BOE) have developed a novel type of transparent organic–inorganic hybrid photoresist with highly tunable refractive index......»»
Thermoelectric effect between two liquid materials observed for the first time
A trio of physicists at Sorbonne Université, in France, has observed a thermoelectric effect between two liquid materials for the first time. In their study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Marlone Vernet, Stephan Fauve.....»»
How did a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way come to be? Physicists offer an explanation
Crater 2, located approximately 380,000 light years from Earth, is one of the largest satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. Extremely cold and with slow-moving stars, Crater 2 has low surface brightness. How this galaxy originated remains unclear......»»
High-precision timing data determine upper limit for photon mass
In a study published in The Astrophysical Journal, Prof. Zhou Xia from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborators have, for the first time, derived the dispersion relation for photons with nonzer.....»»
DARPA’s planned nuclear rocket would use enough fuel to build a bomb
The US is still regulating some enriched uranium based on an analysis from the 1950s. Enlarge (credit: OLE-CNX) High-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) has been touted as the go-to fuel for powering next-gen nuclear reac.....»»
"Quantum optical antennas" provide more powerful measurements on the atomic level
Similar to how a radio antenna plucks a broadcast from the air and concentrates the energy into a song, individual atoms can collect and concentrate the energy of light into a strong, localized signal that researchers can use to study the fundamental.....»»
New insights on the role of nucleon exchange in nuclear fusion
Low-energy nuclear fusion reactions can potentially provide clean energy. In stars, low-energy fusion reactions during the stages of carbon and oxygen burning are critical to stellar evolution. These reactions also offer valuable insights into the ex.....»»
The discovery of new turbulence transition in fusion plasmas
Fusion energy is released when two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier one (nuclear fusion reaction). Fusion energy-based power generation (fusion power plant) uses the energy generated when deuterium and tritium combine to form helium......»»
How does light interact with matter at extreme intensities, near the Schwinger limit?
The experimental generation of increasingly intense light beams could help to unveil new physical regimes occurring in the presence of very strong electromagnetic fields. While some progress has been made towards this goal, physicists are yet to deve.....»»
Ars chats with Precision, the brain-chip maker taking the road less invasive
Precision tested its BCI on 14 people so far. Two more are scheduled this month. Enlarge / Precision’s Layer 7 Cortical Interface array. (credit: Precision) Work toward brain-computer interfaces has never been more cha.....»»
Perturbations simplify the study of "super photons"
Thousands of particles of light can merge into a type of "super photon" under suitable conditions. Physicists call such a state a photon Bose-Einstein condensate......»»
Mapping noise to improve quantum measurements
One of the biggest challenges in quantum technology and quantum sensing is "noise"–seemingly random environmental disturbances that can disrupt the delicate quantum states of qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information......»»
NASA scientists take to the seas to study air quality
Satellites continuously peer down from orbit to take measurements of Earth, and this week a group of scientists set sail to verify some of those data points......»»
How a protein component of nuclear pore complexes regulates development of blood cells, contributes to myeloid disorders
Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are channels composed of multiple proteins that ferry molecules in and out of the nucleus, regulating many critical cellular functions, such as gene expression, chromatin organization and RNA processes that influence cel.....»»
NASA satellite images of cyclones on Jupiter reveal storms are fueled by processes similar to those on Earth
New research led by Lia Siegelman, a physical oceanographer at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, shows that the roiling storms at the planet Jupiter's polar regions are powered by processes known to physicists studying Earth's ocean.....»»