https://phys.org/physics-news/ en-us The latest news in physics, materials science, quantum physics, optics and photonics, superconductivity science and technology. Updated Daily. You may not realize it, but the Doppler effect is everywhere in our lives, from tracking the speed of cars with radar to locating satellites in the sky. It's all about how waves change their frequency when a source (like a radar signal) and a detector are in motion relative to each other. However, traditional radar systems hit a roadblock when trying to detect objects moving at right angles to their radar signals. This limitation has driven researchers to explore an entirely new approach. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-revolutionizing-radar-thz-emitter-precise.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:44:03 EDT news617028241 Whenever light interacts with matter, light appears to slow down. This is not a new observation and standard wave mechanics can describe most of these daily phenomena. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-major-problems-physics.html General Physics Optics & Photonics Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:45:40 EDT news617013937 Bulk acoustic resonators—stacked material structures inside which acoustic waves resonate—can be used to amplify sounds or filter out undesired noise. These resonators have found wide use in today's RF telecommunication, like Front-End Modules (FEM) in iPhones. They could also be valuable components for various cutting-edge scientific applications, including quantum technologies and imaging devices. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-strategy-spin-acoustic-silicon-vacancies-4h.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Fri, 20 Oct 2023 07:00:02 EDT news616933556 When we illuminate something, we usually expect that the brighter the source we use, the brighter the resulting image will be. This rule also works for ultra-short pulses of laser light—but only up to a certain intensity. The answer to the question why an X-ray diffraction image 'darkens' at very high X-ray intensities not only deepens fundamental understanding of the light-matter interaction, but also offers a unique perspective for the production of laser pulses that have significantly shorter pulse duration than those currently available. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-x-ray-lasers-brighter-darker.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:35:15 EDT news616934111 Researchers at the Max-Born-Institute have now mapped the linear and nonlinear optical polaron response using ultrafast two-dimensional spectroscopy in the THz frequency range. As they discuss in the current issue of Physical Review Letters, multi-photon ionization of isopropanol molecules by a femtosecond pulse in the near-infrared generates free electrons and the resulting changes of the dielectric properties of the liquid are probed and/or manipulated in the THz frequency range. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-motions-electrons-solvent-molecules-polar.html General Physics Condensed Matter Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:12:56 EDT news616932772 A new electrical method to conveniently change the direction of electron flow in some quantum materials could have implications for the development of next-generation electronic devices and quantum computers. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-electrical-quantum-phenomenon-future-electronic.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:00:01 EDT news616926339 An international team of scientists is rethinking the basic principles of radiation physics with the aim of creating super-bright light sources. In a new study published in Nature Photonics, researchers from the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in Portugal, the University of Rochester, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée in France proposed ways to use quasiparticles to create light sources as powerful as the most advanced ones in existence today, but much smaller. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-super-bright-sources-powered-quasiparticles.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:00:01 EDT news616926349 The development of tumors begins with miniscule changes within the body's cells; ion diffusion at the smallest scales is decisive in the performance of batteries. Until now, the resolution of conventional imaging methods has not been high enough to represent these processes in detail. A research team lead by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed diamond quantum sensors which can be used to improve resolution in magnetic imaging. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-miniature-magnetic-resonance-imager-diamond.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:21:21 EDT news616929676 Atoms of the metal ytterbium-171 may be the closest things in nature to perfect qubits. A recent study shows how to use them for repeated quantum measurements and qubit rotations, which may aid in the development of scalable quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nondestructive-ytterbium-qubits-aiding-scalable.html Quantum Physics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 14:22:03 EDT news616857721 The most comprehensive view of the history of the universe ever created has been produced by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU). The study also offers new ideas about how our universe may have started. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-view-universe.html General Physics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 13:19:10 EDT news616853948 Quantum mechanics is full of weird phenomena, but perhaps none as weird as the role measurement plays in the theory. Since a measurement tends to destroy the "quantumness" of a system, it seems to be the mysterious link between the quantum and classical world. And in a large system of quantum bits of information, known as "qubits," the effect of measurements can induce dramatically new behavior, even driving the emergence of entirely new phases of quantum information. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-generate-quantum-entanglement-teleportation.html Quantum Physics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 12:24:40 EDT news616850678 Rotating objects carry angular momentum; this fact extends even to the tiniest of particles, such as photons. Photons possess not one but two distinct forms of angular momentum: spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM). https://phys.org/news/2023-10-technique-precise-photonic-angular-momentum.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:35:03 EDT news616847702 Noninvasive inspection of layered structures is challenging for time-resolved imaging methods, where the resolution and contrast can be compromised by prominent signal attenuation with interlayer reflections and dispersions. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hidden-layered-terahertz-imaging.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:20:01 EDT news616846040 One way physicists seek clues to unravel the mysteries of the universe is by smashing matter together and inspecting the debris. But these types of destructive experiments, while incredibly informative, have limits. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-technique-near-miss-particle-physics-tau.html General Physics Quantum Physics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:07:40 EDT news616846057 University of Otago physicists have used a small glass bulb containing an atomic vapor to demonstrate a new form of antenna for radio waves. The bulb was "wired up" with laser beams and could therefore be placed far from any receiver electronics. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-physicists-antenna-radio.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 09:52:03 EDT news616841521 Ever since Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered the world of bacteria through a microscope in the late seventeenth century, humans have tried to look deeper into the world of the infinitesimally small. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-superlensing-super-lens-physicists-boost.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 05:00:01 EDT news616773425 We live in an era of data deluge. The data centers that are operated to store and process this flood of data use a lot of electricity, which has been called a major contributor to environmental pollution. To overcome this situation, polygonal computing systems with lower power consumption and higher computation speed are being researched, but they are not able to handle the huge demand for data processing because they operate with electrical signals, just like conventional binary computing systems. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-ushering-era-light-powered-multi-level-memories.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Tue, 17 Oct 2023 11:00:02 EDT news616759201 Conservation laws are central to our understanding of the universe, and now scientists have expanded our understanding of these laws in quantum mechanics. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-thought-laws-reevaluating-quantum-principles.html Quantum Physics Tue, 17 Oct 2023 06:50:01 EDT news616693014 A collaborative group of researchers has manipulated the behavior of light as if it were under the influence of gravity. The findings, which were published in the journal Physical Review A on September 28, 2023, have far-reaching implications for the world of optics and materials science, and bear significance for the development of 6G communications. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-photonic-crystals-gravity.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Mon, 16 Oct 2023 11:17:02 EDT news616673821 Researchers from Monash University have unlocked fresh insights into the behavior of quantum impurities within materials. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-quantum-mysteries-insights-2d-semiconductor.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Mon, 16 Oct 2023 10:53:03 EDT news616672381 A team of physicists at the Technical University of Denmark has found the reason a spinning magnet can cause a secondary magnet to levitate without the need for stabilization. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Applied, the group describes experiments they conducted to learn more about the phenomenon and what they learned from them. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-magnet-levitate.html General Physics Condensed Matter Mon, 16 Oct 2023 09:50:01 EDT news616668486 Superconductivity is the ability of some materials to conduct a direct electrical current (DC) with almost no resistance. This property is highly sought after and favorable for various technological applications, as it could boost the performance of different electronic and energy devices. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-strategy-light-driven-superconductivity-kc.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Sun, 15 Oct 2023 09:10:01 EDT news616406799 A team of atmospheric scientists, chemists and infectious disease specialists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, working with colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamical Systems, the University of Denver, Georg August University and St. Petersburg State University, has embarked on an effort to collate publicly available information on droplet properties, such as the way they are distributed by size, their composition, and the ways they are emitted, as a means of helping to develop mitigation strategies for fighting infectious agents. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-collating-droplet-properties-localize-sources.html General Physics Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:37:55 EDT news616423068 In a new breakthrough, researchers have used a novel technique to confirm a previously undetected physics phenomenon that could be used to improve data storage in the next generation of computer devices. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-method-orbital-hall-effect-spintronics.html Condensed Matter Fri, 13 Oct 2023 11:38:47 EDT news616415923 Electron microscopes provide unique vistas of nanoscale structures, but their resolution is limited by the mutual repulsion of electrons. Researchers in Göttingen have now succeeded in precisely measuring the influence of these interactions. They discovered an "energetic fingerprint" in which the distribution of the electrons' velocities is characteristic of their respective numbers. This finding has enabled the team to develop a method that could increase the performance of established electron microscopes and open up a new interface between electron microscopy and quantum technology. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-interplay-free-electrons-tailored-electron.html General Physics Quantum Physics Fri, 13 Oct 2023 09:56:24 EDT news616409782 Exciton polaritons, hybrid quasiparticles caused by the strong exciton-photon coupling, constitute a unique prototype for studying many-body physics and quantum photonic phenomena traditionally in cryogenic conditions. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nonlinear-exciton-polaritons-ws2-monolayer.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Fri, 13 Oct 2023 09:26:03 EDT news616407961 Physicists have shown that simulating models of hypothetical time travel can solve experimental problems that appear impossible to solve using standard physics. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-simulations-scientific.html General Physics Quantum Physics Thu, 12 Oct 2023 12:19:18 EDT news616331937 Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Hamburg, Germany, have long been exploring the effect of using tailored laser drives to manipulate the properties of quantum materials away from equilibrium. One of the most striking demonstrations of these physics has been in unconventional superconductors, where signatures of enhanced electronic coherences and super-transport have been documented in the resulting non-equilibrium states. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-widely-tuneable-terahertz-lasers-boost.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Thu, 12 Oct 2023 11:31:03 EDT news616329061 The nuclear reactions that power stellar explosions involve short-lived nuclei that are hard to study in the laboratory. To solve this challenge, researchers used a novel technique that combines an Active Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC) with a magnetic spectrometer. The work has been published in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-method-nuclear-reactions-short-lived-isotopes.html General Physics Thu, 12 Oct 2023 11:01:25 EDT news616327283 Quantum computers of the future hold promise in solving all sorts of problems. For example, they could lead to more sustainable materials and new medicines, and even crack the hardest problems in fundamental physics. But compared to the classical computers in use today, rudimentary quantum computers are more prone to errors. Wouldn't it be nice if researchers could just take out a special quantum eraser and get rid of the mistakes? https://phys.org/news/2023-10-erase-quantum-errors.html Quantum Physics Thu, 12 Oct 2023 10:15:03 EDT news616324501