The Physics of ‘Sniping’ for Gold
Before you go prospecting in the nearest river, here’s the science of what separates the rocks from the good stuff......»»
A method to compute the Rényi entanglement entropy in auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo simulations
Entanglement is a widely studied quantum physics phenomenon, in which two particles become linked in such a way that the state of one affects the state of another, irrespective of the distance between them. When studying systems comprised of several.....»»
This beloved feature almost ruined Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
At a GDC panel, the Nintendo developers of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gave a rare peek at the difficulty of creating the game's physics system......»»
Testing begins on sensitive neutrino detector for nonproliferation and fundamental physics
Neutrinos and antineutrinos are nearly massless particles produced in many nuclear reactions, including the fission of uranium in nuclear power plants on Earth and the fusion reactions at the core of the sun......»»
Scientists on the hunt for evidence of quantum gravity"s existence at the South Pole
Several thousand sensors distributed over a square kilometer near the South Pole are tasked with answering one of the large outstanding questions in physics: does quantum gravity exist? The sensors monitor neutrinos—particles with no electrical cha.....»»
Using mode-locked lasers to realize and study non-Hermitian topological physics
Mode-locked lasers are advanced lasers that produce very short pulses of light, with durations ranging from femtoseconds to picoseconds. These lasers are widely used to study ultrafast and nonlinear optical phenomena, but they have also proved useful.....»»
Q&A: Researchers warn of danger, call for pause in bringing AI to schools
In K-12 schools across the country, a new gold rush of sorts is underway: Classrooms nationwide are racing to bring the latest artificial intelligence tools, such as platforms powered by the chat bot ChatGPT, into the classroom......»»
Using physics principles to understand how cells self-sort in development
Erin McCarthy '23, physics summa cum laude, is a rarity among young scientists. As an undergraduate researcher in Syracuse University's College of Arts & Sciences' Department of Physics, she guided a study that appeared in March 2024 in Physical Revi.....»»
Team proposes using AI to reconstruct particle paths leading to new physics
Particles colliding in accelerators produce numerous cascades of secondary particles. The electronics processing the signals avalanching in from the detectors then have a fraction of a second in which to assess whether an event is of sufficient inter.....»»
Unveiling the formation of the first galaxies
Utilizing high-resolution three-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations and a detailed supernova physics model run on supercomputers, a research team led by Dr. Ke-Jung Chen from the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica (A.....»»
‘Development is going to be chaos’ — how physics in Tears of the Kingdom changed everything
At a GDC panel, the Nintendo developers of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gave a rare peek at the difficulty of creating the game's physics system......»»
Planetary scientists use physics and images of impact craters to gauge thickness of ice on Europa
Sometimes planetary physics is like being in a snowball fight. Most people, if handed an already-formed snowball, can use their experience and the feel of the ball to guess what kind of snow it is composed of: packable and fluffy, or wet and icy......»»
Cleaning up environmental contaminants with quantum dot technology
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was focused on quantum dots—objects so tiny, they're controlled by the strange and complex rules of quantum physics. Many quantum dots used in electronics are made from toxic substances, but their nontoxic counterp.....»»
Research team establishes synthetic dimension dynamics to manipulate light
In the realm of physics, synthetic dimensions (SDs) have emerged as one of the frontiers of active research, offering a pathway to explore phenomena in higher-dimensional spaces, beyond our conventional 3D geometrical space. The concept has garnered.....»»
Planetary geophysics: What is it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has examined the importance of studying impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, solar physics, comets, and planetary atmospheres, and how these intriguing scientific disciplines can help scientists and the public.....»»
Breakthrough in melting point prediction: 100-year-old physics problem solved
A longstanding problem in physics has finally been cracked by Professor Kostya Trachenko of Queen Mary University of London's School of Physical and Chemical Sciences. His research, published in Physical Review E, unveils a general theory for predict.....»»
Photon-like electrons in a four-dimensional world discovered in a real material
Dirac electrons were predicted by P. Dirac and discovered by A. Geim, both of whom were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933 and in 2010, respectively. Dirac electrons behave like photons rather than electrons, for they are considered to have n.....»»
Sugar-coated gold nanoparticles can quickly eliminate bacterial infections, no antibiotics required
If left to their own devices, bacteria on our teeth or wounded skin can encase themselves in a slimy scaffolding, turning into what is called biofilm. These bacteria wreak havoc on our tissue and, being shielded from antibiotic medication by the slim.....»»
How Do Heat Pumps Work?
Our in-house physics whiz explains how a heat pump can warm your home without burning fossil fuels......»»
A physics-based predictive tool to speed up battery and superconductor research
From lithium-ion batteries to next-generation superconductors, the functionality of many modern, advanced technologies depends on the physical property known as intercalation. Unfortunately, it's difficult to identify in advance which of the many pos.....»»
Quantum imaging could create bright future for advanced microscopes
The unique properties of quantum physics could help solve a longstanding problem that prevents microscopes from producing sharper images at the smallest scales, researchers say......»»