Phys.org Physics

• Simulations clarify the mechanism of coupled plasma fluctuations

  In nature, phenomena in which multiple fluctuations occur in a coupled manner are frequently observed. For example, in large earthquakes, cases of them occurring consecutively in adjacent regions have been reported. When multiple fluctuations occur in this coupled way, compared to a single fluctuation, the coupled ones release more energy, leading to larger-scale phenomena.

• Compact comb lights the way for next-gen photonics

  In the world of modern optics, frequency combs are invaluable tools. These devices act as rulers for measuring light, enabling breakthroughs in telecommunications, environmental monitoring, and even astrophysics. But building compact and efficient frequency combs has been a challenge—until now.

• New electromagnetic material draws inspiration from the color-shifting chameleon

  The chameleon, a lizard known for its color-changing skin, is the inspiration behind a new electromagnetic material that could someday make vehicles and aircraft "invisible" to radar.

• From classical to quantum: Reimagining the Mpemba effect at the atomic scale

  In a new Nature Communications study, scientists have demonstrated the quantum version of the strong Mpemba effect (sME) in a single trapped ion system.

• Chinese 'artificial sun' sets a record towards fusion power generation

  The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), commonly known as China's "artificial sun," has achieved a remarkable scientific milestone by maintaining steady-state high-confinement plasma operation for an impressive 1,066 seconds. This accomplishment, reached on Monday, sets a new world record and marks a significant breakthrough in the pursuit of fusion power generation.

• Illuminating an asymmetric gap in a topological antiferromagnet

  Topological insulators (TIs) are among the hottest topics in condensed matter physics today. They're a bit strange: Their surfaces conduct electricity, yet their interiors do not, instead acting as insulators. Physicists consider TIs the materials of the future because they host fascinating new quantum phases of matter and have promising technological applications in electronics and quantum computing. Scientists are just now beginning to uncover connections between TIs and magnetism that could unlock new uses for these exotic materials.

• Harnessing electromagnetic waves and quantum materials to improve wireless communication technologies

  A team of researchers from the University of Ottawa has developed innovative methods to enhance frequency conversion of terahertz (THz) waves in graphene-based structures, unlocking new potential for faster, more efficient technologies in wireless communication and signal processing.

• Scientists succeed in trapping molecules to perform quantum operations for the first time

  Molecules haven't been used in quantum computing, even though they have the potential to make the ultra-high-speed experimental technology even faster. Their rich internal structures were seen as too complicated, too delicate, too unpredictable to manage, so smaller particles have been used.

• Scientists harness the power of 'layered' crystals for energy innovation

  University of Missouri scientists are unlocking the secrets of halide perovskites—a material that's poised to reshape our future by bringing us closer to a new age of energy-efficient optoelectronics.

• Electrons in twisted graphene form novel 1/3 fractional quantum Hall state

  A research team discovered a quantum state in which electrons move in a completely new way under a twisted graphene structure. The unique electronic state is expected to contribute to the development of more efficient and faster electronic devices. It may also be applicable to technologies such as quantum memory, which can process complex computations.

• A new frontier in understanding electron dynamics: Imaging with attosecond short X-ray flashes

  Attosecond science, honored with the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics, is transforming our understanding of how electrons move in atoms, molecules, and solids. An attosecond—equivalent to a billionth of a billionth of a second—enables "slow-motion" visualization of natural processes occurring at extraordinary speeds.

• Salt deposit ring inside your pasta pan? Researchers unveil the physical mechanisms at play

  If you've ever tossed a generous pinch of salt into your pasta pan's water for flavor or as an attempt to make it boil faster, you've likely ended up with a whitish ring of deposits inside the pan.

• SMART: One step closer to nuclear fusion with its first plasma

  In a pioneering approach to achieve fusion energy, the SMART device has successfully generated its first tokamak plasma. This step brings the international fusion community closer to achieving sustainable, clean, and virtually limitless energy through controlled fusion reactions.

• Newly fabricated crystals control interactions between high-frequency phonons and single quantum systems

  Phonons, the quantum mechanical vibrations of atoms in solids, are often sources of noise in solid-state quantum systems, including quantum technologies, which can lead to decoherence and thus adversely impact their performance.

• Quantum 'umbilical cord' links metal and insulator states in many materials, study shows

  A kind of umbilical cord between different quantum states can be found in some materials. Researchers at TU Wien have now shown that this "umbilical cord" is generic to many materials.

• Controlling plasma heat in a fusion energy power plant: 'Louvers' on fusion device should exhaust gases as hot as a star

  Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is developing a tokamak device called SPARC. The company aims to demonstrate the critical fusion energy milestone of producing more output power than input power for the first time in a device that can scale up to commercial power plant size. However, this achievement is only possible if the plasma doesn't melt the device.

• Spin has transformed modern-day tennis—here's the physics behind it

  Watch any match at this year's Australian Open and you'll see balls curving in the air or bouncing higher or lower than expected. Players such as Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are particularly masterful at the art.

• Experiment validates electric ion thruster simulations

  Predicting the lifetime of an electric ion thruster is notoriously difficult. You have to account for the chamber wall effects, which are not present in space environments. Researchers within several different aerospace disciplines in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign worked together to simulate the ion activity, then validate it in a unique experiment that will help predict the lifespan of electric thrusters.

• Student project discovers superconductor with hallmark of unconventional superconductivity

  Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered a new superconducting material. They combined iron, nickel, and zirconium, to create a new transition metal zirconide with different ratios of iron to nickel. The findings are published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds.

• Twisting light: Novel metasurface offers compact solution for circularly polarized light

  Left and right circularly polarized light, where the electromagnetic waves spiral in a clockwise and counterclockwise manner as they travel, plays a crucial role in a wide range of applications, from enhancing medical imaging techniques to enabling advanced communication technologies. However, generating circularly polarized light often requires complex and bulky optical set-ups, which hinders its use in systems with space constraints.

• Peeling back the layers: Exploring capping effects on nickelate superconductivity

  So-called "infinite-layer" nickelate materials, characterized by their unique crystal and electronic structures, exhibit significant potential as high-temperature superconductors. Studying these materials remains challenging for researchers; they have only been synthesized as thin films and then "capped" with a protective layer that could alter properties of the nickelate layered system.

• Redefining the second: Optical atomic clock achieves record accuracy in comparison measurement

  The next generation of atomic clocks "ticks" with the frequency of a laser. This is about 100,000 times faster than the microwave frequencies of the cesium clocks which are generating the second at present. These optical clocks are still being assessed, but already now, some are 100 times more accurate than cesium clocks. They will therefore become the future basis for the worldwide definition of the second in the International System of Units (SI).

• Metastable marvel: X-rays illuminate an exotic material transformation

  A dry material makes a great fire starter, and a soft material lends itself to a sweater. Batteries require materials that can store lots of energy, and microchips need components that can turn the flow of electricity on and off.

• Anomalous Hall torque: 'Brand new physics' for next-generation spintronics

  Our data-driven world demands more—more capacity, more efficiency, more computing power. To meet society's insatiable need for electronic speed, physicists have been pushing the burgeoning field of spintronics.

• Touschek and Gatto: Exploring a friendship that would shape fundamental physics

  The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) made its groundbreaking discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, but its ancestry can be traced back more than 60 years to the first electron-positron collision experiment in Italy. Named Anello di Accumulazione (AdA), the experiment was the world's first collider of matter and antimatter.