Lifeboat Foundation

Dark matter, antimatter, W bosons and neutron lifetimes all feature in our top 10 stories.

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Thank you to John Norton, Brett Park, Samuel Fletcher and Guido Bacciagaluppi for your guidance and consultation with this video.

Continue reading “The Dome Paradox: A Loophole in Newton’s Laws” »

As fringe as the idea of solar radiation modification once was and as generally controversial as it remains, it is gaining some traction. Last spring, the University of Chicago hired David Keith, one of the most visible proponents of solar geoengineering, to lead a new Climate Systems Engineering initiative, committing to at least 10 new faculty hires for the program. The group will study solar geoengineering, as well as other kinds of Earth system modifications aimed at addressing the climate crisis.

With this initiative, the University of Chicago is attempting to position itself as the place for serious scientific consideration of the logistics and implications of Earth system interventions aimed at reversing or counteracting climate change. It is part of a broader university effort to become a global leader in the climate and energy space.

Previously, Keith was at Harvard University, where he helped launch the Solar Geoengineering Research Program. After repeated delays and years of controversy, Harvard recently canceled a small-scale outdoor geoengineering experiment that Keith helped plan. That experiment would have involved launching a high-altitude balloon, releasing fine particles of calcium carbonate into the stratosphere, and then sending the balloon back through the cloud to monitor how those particles disperse and interact within the atmosphere, and with solar radiation.

In today’s episode of Theories of Everything, Curt Jaimungal and Julian Barbour challenge conventional physics by exploring Barbour’s revolutionary ideas on time as an emergent property of change, the universe’s increasing order contrary to entropy, and the foundational nature of shape dynamics.

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Continue reading “The Physicist Who Says Time Doesn’t Exist” »

Electrons, those fundamental particles that orbit atomic nuclei, are central to electromagnetism and chemical processes. Ever since their discovery, scientists have pondered over what electrons are made of and their basic structure. While particles such as protons and neutrons have shown internal complexity, electrons appear impenetrable to such analysis. So, what constitutes an electron? Are they truly indivisible, or do they hide smaller components within?

Speaking of the atom, the term “indivisible” now seems outdated, especially with modern scientific understanding. The notion that atoms are the most fundamental units of matter dates back to Democritus over 2,000 years ago. However, as centuries passed and scientific discoveries unfolded, it became clear that atoms were not the ultimate particles of matter. Indeed, advancements in physics have shown that atoms are made up of even smaller particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. While protons and neutrons can be broken down into quarks, the question remains for electrons: are they also made of smaller components, or are they indivisible?

Since their discovery over 125 years ago, electrons have challenged the logic of decomposition. No experiment has yet detected any more complex internal structure, even during high-energy collisions aimed at probing deeper levels of matter. Electrons thus seem to defy the notion of being made up of smaller particles. They are currently regarded as fundamental particles within the standard model of particle physics, meaning they are entities that cannot be divided further.

A research group led by Prof. Yao Baoli and Dr. Xu Xiaohao from Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics (XIOPM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have revealed a full-gray optical trap in structured light, which is able to capture nanoparticles but appears at the region where the intensity is neither maximized nor minimized. The study is published in Physical Review A.

The optical trap is one of the greatest findings in optics and photonics. Since the pioneering work by Arthur Ashkin in the 1970s, the optical trap has been employed in a broad range of applications in life sciences, physics, and engineering. Akin to its thermal and acoustic counterparts, this trap is typically either bright or dark, located at the field intensity maxima or minima.

In this study, researchers developed a high-order multipole model for gradient forces based on multipole expansion theory. Through immersing the Si particles in the structured light with a petal-shaped field, they found that the high-order multipole gradient forces can trap Si particles at the optical intensity, which is neither maximized nor minimized.

The research team, led by physics professor Nuh Gedik, concentrated on a material called FePS₃, a type of antiferromagnet that transitions to a non-magnetic state at around −247°F. They hypothesized that precisely exciting the vibrations of FePS₃’s atoms with lasers could disrupt its typical antiferromagnetic alignment and induce a new magnetic state.

In conventional magnets (ferromagnets), all atomic spins align in the same direction, making their magnetic field easy to control. In contrast, antiferromagnets have a more complex up-down-up-down spin pattern that cancels out, resulting in zero net magnetization. While this property makes antiferromagnets highly resistant to stray magnetic influences – an advantage for secure data storage – it also creates challenges in intentionally switching them between “0” and “1” states for computing.

Gedik’s innovative laser-driven approach seeks to overcome this obstacle, potentially unlocking antiferromagnets for future high-performance memory and computational technologies.

Recent studies indicate that the cosmos is rich in complex organic molecules, essential components for understanding the origins of life. The European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe, which examined the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko over a two-year mission, provided significant insights into the presence of these molecules in space.

Organic molecules, defined as compounds containing carbon, are abundant not only on Earth but also throughout the universe. Their structure allows carbon atoms to create stable chains, forming the backbone of various biological compounds. The findings from Rosetta have transformed our understanding of where these building blocks of life might originate.

During its mission, Rosetta detected over 44 distinct organic molecules, including glycine, a fundamental amino acid. Moreover, recent analyses of the data identified dimethyl sulfide, a gas associated exclusively with biological processes on Earth, suggesting that the conditions for life may be more widespread than previously assumed.

Grape pairs enhance magnetic fields, advancing compact, cost-effective quantum sensor technology.

In interesting research, insights from ordinary supermarket grapes led researchers to boost quantum sensor performance.

Continue reading “Grapes double sensor magnetic power in an epic quantum breakthrough” »