Using atomic excitations to measure the rotation of spacetime
How would atoms behave near a supermassive object? We know how atoms behave in extremely weak gravity like that at the Earth's surface: They can be excited from a lower energy level to a higher one when an electron absorbs a photon or a nucleus absor.....»»
New varactor enhances quantum dot device measurements at millikelvin temperatures
The development of quantum computing systems relies on the ability to rapidly and precisely measure these systems' electrical properties, such as their underlying charge and spin states. These measurements are typically collected using radio-frequenc.....»»
New "chiral vortex" of light allows chemists to "see" molecules through the mirror
An entirely new structure of light is helping to measure chirality in molecules more accurately and robustly than ever before, in a major potential step for the pharmaceutical industry......»»
Could we ever harness quantum vacuum energy?
The fabric of spacetime is roiling with vibrating quantum fields, known as vacuum energy. It's right there, everywhere we look. But could we ever get anything out of it?.....»»
Physicists observe key minuscule molecular interactions in ultra-fast atomic processes
An international team of scientists is the first to report incredibly small time delays in a molecule's electron activity when the particles are exposed to X-rays......»»
Astronomers think they’ve found a plausible explanation of the Wow! signal
Magnetars could zap clouds of atomic hydrogen, producing focused microwave beams. Enlarge / The Wow! signal, represented as "6EQUJ5," was discovered in 1977 by astronomer Jerry Ehman. (credit: Public domain) An unusually.....»»
New forensics technique measures individual DNA shedding to aid criminal investigations
A pioneering new DNA forensics technique is looking for a reliable method to measure a suspect's individual level of natural shedding of skin and other cells to add to, and compare with, evidence collected at crime scenes......»»
Physicists successfully observe Kibble–Zurek scaling in an atomic Fermi superfluid
The Kibble–Zurek (KZ) mechanism is a theoretical framework introduced by physicists Tom Kibble and Wojciech Zurek. This framework essentially describes the formation of topological defects while systems undergo non-equilibrium phase transitions......»»
It took Microsoft 30 years to change this Windows feature
After 30 years, Microsoft is finally changing a feature that was implemented as a temporary measure and never addressed again......»»
Team develops method for control over single-molecule photoswitching
Scientists from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute have made an innovative discovery in nanoscale optoelectronics. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications and titled "Atomic-Precision Control of Plasmo.....»»
Forget IP rotation, ExpressVPN promises to go even further
ExpressVPN ShuffleIP feature automatically gives you a different IP for every website you visit – and it's completely free......»»
New analysis of Webb data measures universe expansion rate, finds there may not be a "Hubble tension"
We know many things about our universe, but astronomers are still debating exactly how fast it is expanding. In fact, over the past two decades, two major ways to measure this number—known as the "Hubble constant" —have come up with different ans.....»»
"Mirror" nuclei help connect nuclear theory and neutron stars
Adding or removing neutrons from an atomic nucleus leads to changes in the size of the nucleus. This in turn causes tiny changes in the energy levels of the atom's electrons, known as isotope shifts. Scientists can use precision measurements of these.....»»
Cosmic count exceeds expectation: Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on ISS reveals surplus of cosmic rays
Cosmic rays confound scientists once again. The latest analysis of data collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on board the International Space Station has revealed a surprising surplus of cosmic rays made of deuterons—atomic nuclei mad.....»»
How overcrowding impacts the world"s tourism hotspots
Every summer, millions of people jet off on vacations around the world. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates that international arrivals, the measure of global travel, will be 2% higher than the pre-pandemic total was in 2019......»»
Most existing heat wave indices fail to capture heat wave severity, experts report
Even though climate change is bringing more frequent and severe heat waves, there is no standard, global way to measure heat-wave severity, and existing indices have different thresholds for defining dangerous heat-stress conditions......»»
Scientists take atomic look at a protein complex that grants access to our DNA
To transcribe the information contained in our genes or to repair the dozens of breaks that occur daily in our DNA, our enzymes must be able to directly access the DNA to perform their functions. However, in the cell nucleus, this access is limited b.....»»
Researchers reveal atomic-scale details of catalysts" active sites
The chemical and energy industries depend upon catalysts to drive the reactions used to create their products. Many important reactions use heterogeneous catalysts—meaning that the catalysts are in a different phase of matter than the substances th.....»»
"Current" events: Scientists devise a new way to measure river flows
A team of scientists and engineers at NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has collaborated to see if a small piloted drone, equipped with a specialized payload, could help create detailed maps of how fast water is flowing. Rivers supply fresh.....»»
Researchers use vibrations from traffic to measure underground soil moisture
Caltech researchers have developed a new method to measure soil moisture in the shallow subterranean region between the surface and underground aquifers. This region, called the vadose zone, is crucial for plants and crops to obtain water through the.....»»
Physicists report new insights into exotic particles key to magnetism
MIT physicists and colleagues report new insights into exotic particles key to a form of magnetism that has attracted growing interest because it originates from ultrathin materials only a few atomic layers thick. The work, which could impact future.....»»