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Category: particle physics

Water-based plasma forges novel alloy to turn CO₂ into useful chemicals

A new water-based plasma technique is opening fresh possibilities for carbon conversion.

Chinese researchers have created stable high-entropy alloy nanoparticles—containing five metals in nearly equal ratios—directly in solution, thereby overcoming long-standing challenges in nanoscale alloy synthesis.

These particles form a self-protecting, oxidized shell, delivering strong photothermal performance that utilizes visible and infrared light to drive carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide more efficiently than single-metal catalysts.

Cosmic ray puzzle resolved as scientists link ‘knee’ formation to black holes

Milestone results released by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) on November 16 have solved a decades-old mystery about the cosmic ray energy spectrum—which shows a sharp decrease in cosmic rays above 3 PeV, giving it an unusual knee-like shape.

The cause of the “knee” has remained unclear since its discovery nearly 70 years ago. Scientists have speculated that it is linked to the acceleration limit of the astrophysical sources of cosmic rays and reflects the transition of the cosmic ray energy spectrum from one power-law distribution to another.

Now, however, two recent studies—published in National Science Review and Science Bulletin, respectively—demonstrate that micro-quasars driven by black hole system accretion are powerful particle accelerators in the Milky Way and are the likely source of the “knee.” The studies also advance our understanding of the extreme physical processes of black hole systems.

Electrical control of spin currents in graphene via ferroelectric switching achieved

A collaborative European research team led by physicists from Slovak Academy of Sciences has theorized a new approach to control spin currents in graphene by coupling it to a ferroelectric In2Se3 monolayer. Using first-principles and tight-binding simulations, the researcher showed that the ferroelectric switching of In2Se3 can reverse the direction of the spin current in graphene acting as an electrical spin switch. This discovery offers a novel pathway toward energy-efficient, nonvolatile, and magnet-free spintronic devices, marking a key step toward the fabrication of next-generation spin-based logic and memory systems to control spin textures.

The findings are published in the journal Materials Futures.

Nobel Winners Just Proved the Universe Is Quantum — 2025 Physics Prize Explained

#EverythingSpace #Universe.

Nobel Winners Just Proved the Universe Is Quantum — 2025 Physics Prize Explained.

In this episode of Everything Space, we break down the groundbreaking discoveries that earned this year’s Nobel Prize, and what they mean for the way we understand reality itself. From experiments that challenge Einstein’s idea of locality, to the mysterious phenomenon of quantum entanglement, these results show that the universe behaves in ways once thought impossible.

We’ll explore how scientists finally confirmed that particles can influence each other across vast distances — instantaneously — and why this discovery reshapes our understanding of space, time, and the very nature of existence.

Join us as we unravel the science behind the Nobel-winning breakthrough that proves the universe isn’t just strange — it’s quantum.

#QuantumUniverse #Physics2025 #NobelPrize #EverythingSpace #SpaceMysteries.

Continue reading “Nobel Winners Just Proved the Universe Is Quantum — 2025 Physics Prize Explained” | >

Unified model may explain vibrational anomalies in solids

Phonons are sound particles or quantized vibrations of atoms in solid materials. The Debye model, a theory introduced by physicist Peter Debye in 1912, describes the contribution of phonons to the specific heat of materials and explains why the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of solids drops sharply at low temperatures.

The Debye model assumes that are continuously distributed in a solid material. Past studies, however, found that when phonons have particularly short wavelengths, some anomalies can emerge.

The first of these reported anomalies, the so-called Van Hove singularity (VHS), is characterized by sharp features in the vibrational density of states (DOS) observed in crystals. The second, known as a boson peak, entails a significant excess in the DOS in amorphous solids or glasses.

Heavy atomic nuclei are not as symmetric as previously thought, physicists find

Many heavy atomic nuclei are shaped more or less like squashed rugby balls than fully inflated ones, according to a theoretical study by RIKEN nuclear physicists published in The European Physical Journal A. This unexpected finding overturns the consensus held for more than half a century.

Illustrations of atoms often depict the nucleus as a round blob made up of neutrons and protons. Physicists initially assumed that nuclei were spherical like soccer balls. But in the 1950s, Aage Bohr and Ben Mottelson developed a theory that predicted that many are elongated in one direction, being shaped like a ball.

Following in the footsteps of his father Niels Bohr, who was awarded the 1922 Nobel prize in physics for his model of the structure of atoms, Aage Bohr shared the 1975 Nobel prize for physics for this discovery.

Physicists unveil system to solve long-standing barrier to new generation of supercomputers

The dream of creating game-changing quantum computers—supermachines that encode information in single atoms rather than conventional bits—has been hampered by the formidable challenge known as quantum error correction.

In a paper published Monday in Nature, Harvard researchers demonstrated a new system capable of detecting and removing errors below a key performance threshold, potentially providing a workable solution to the problem.

“For the first time, we combined all essential elements for a scalable, error-corrected quantum computation in an integrated architecture,” said Mikhail Lukin, co-director of the Quantum Science and Engineering Initiative, Joshua and Beth Friedman University Professor, and senior author of the new paper. “These experiments—by several measures the most advanced that have been done on any quantum platform to date—create the scientific foundation for practical large-scale quantum computation.”

Reactor-grade fusion plasma: First high-precision measurement of potential dynamics

Nuclear fusion, which operates on the same principle that powers the sun, is expected to become a sustainable energy source for the future. To achieve fusion power generation, it is essential to confine plasma at temperatures exceeding one hundred million degrees using a magnetic field and to maintain this high-energy state stably.

A key factor in accomplishing this is the inside the plasma. This potential governs the transport of particles and energy within the plasma and plays a crucial role in establishing a state in which energy is effectively confined and prevented from escaping. Therefore, accurately measuring the internal plasma potential is essential for improving the performance of future fusion reactors.

A non-contact diagnostic technique called the heavy ion beam probe (HIBP) is used to measure plasma potential directly. In this method, negatively charged (Au⁻) are accelerated and injected into the plasma.

A new ion-based quantum computer makes error correction simpler

Still, it’s not clear what type of qubit will win in the long run. Each type has design benefits that could ultimately make it easier to scale. Ions (which are used by the US-based startup IonQ as well as Quantinuum) offer an advantage because they produce relatively few errors, says Islam: “Even with fewer physical qubits, you can do more.” However, it’s easier to manufacture superconducting qubits. And qubits made of neutral atoms, such as the quantum computers built by the Boston-based startup QuEra, are “easier to trap” than ions, he says.

Besides increasing the number of qubits on its chip, another notable achievement for Quantinuum is that it demonstrated error correction “on the fly,” says David Hayes, the company’s director of computational theory and design, That’s a new capability for its machines. Nvidia GPUs were used to identify errors in the qubits in parallel. Hayes thinks that GPUs are more effective for error correction than chips known as FPGAs, also used in the industry.

Quantinuum has used its computers to investigate the basic physics of magnetism and superconductivity. Earlier this year, it reported simulating a magnet on H2, Helios’s predecessor, with the claim that it “rivals the best classical approaches in expanding our understanding of magnetism.” Along with announcing the introduction of Helios, the company has used the machine to simulate the behavior of electrons in a high-temperature superconductor.

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