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Category: particle physics – Page 4

Quantum researchers observe real-time switching of magnet in heart of single atom

Researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have been able to see the magnetic nucleus of an atom switch back and forth in real time. They read out the nuclear “spin” via the electrons in the same atom through the needle of a scanning tunneling microscope.

To their surprise, the spin remained stable for several seconds, offering prospects for enhanced control of the magnetic . The research, published in Nature Communications, is a step forward for quantum sensing at the atomic scale.

A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) consists of an atomically-sharp needle that can “feel” single atoms on a surface and make images with atomic resolution. Or to be precise, STM can only feel the that surround the atomic nucleus. Both the electrons and the nucleus in an atom are potentially small magnets.

Investigating an island of inversion: Physicists pinpoint boundary where nuclear shell model breaks down

An experiment carried out at CERN’s ISOLDE facility has determined the western shore of a small island of atomic nuclei, where conventional nuclear rules break down.

The was discovered over a century ago, yet many questions remain about the force that keeps its constituent protons and neutrons together and the way in which these particles pack themselves together within it.

In the classic nuclear shell model, protons and neutrons arrange themselves in shells of increasing energy, and completely filled outer shells of protons or neutrons result in particularly stable “magic” nuclei. But the model only works for nuclei with the right mix of protons and neutrons. Get the wrong mix and the model breaks down.

Self-assembling magnetic microparticles mimic biological error correction

Everybody makes mistakes. Biology is no different. However, living organisms have certain error-correction mechanisms that enable their biomolecules to assemble and function despite the defective slough that is a natural byproduct of the process.

A Cornell-led collaboration has developed microscale that can mimic the ability of biological materials such as proteins and nucleic acids to self-assemble into complex structures, while also selectively reducing the parasitic waste that would otherwise clog up production.

This magnetic assembly platform could one day usher in a new class of self-building biomimetic devices and microscale machines.

Quantum ‘curvature’ warps electron flow, hinting at new electronics possibilities

How can data be processed at lightning speed, or electricity conducted without loss? To achieve this, scientists and industry alike are turning to quantum materials, governed by the laws of the infinitesimal. Designing such materials requires a detailed understanding of atomic phenomena, much of which remains unexplored.

A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the University of Salerno and the CNR-SPIN Institute (Italy), has taken a major step forward by uncovering a hidden geometry—until now purely theoretical—that distorts the trajectories of electrons in much the same way gravity bends the path of light. The work, published in Science, opens new avenues for .

Future technologies depend on high-performance materials with unprecedented properties, rooted in quantum physics. At the heart of this revolution lies the study of matter at the microscopic scale—the very essence of . In the past century, exploring atoms, electrons and photons within materials gave rise to transistors and, ultimately, to modern computing.

CERN Deploys Cutting-Edge AI in “Impossible” Hunt for Higgs Decay

CMS employed machine learning to probe rare Higgs decays into charm quarks. The search produced the most stringent limits so far. The Higgs boson, first observed at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012, is a cornerstone of the Standard Model of particle physics. Through its interactions, it

Graphene reveals electrons that behave like frictionless fluid and break textbook rules

For several decades, a central puzzle in quantum physics has remained unsolved: Could electrons behave like a perfect, frictionless fluid with electrical properties described by a universal quantum number?

This unique property of electrons has been extremely difficult to detect in any material so far because of the presence of atomic defects, impurities, and imperfections in the material.

Researchers at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), along with collaborators from the National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, have now finally detected this quantum fluid of electrons in graphene—a material consisting of a single sheet of pure carbon atoms.

Microscale mixing without turbulence: Scientists discover limits to information erasure in viscous fluids

In turbulent fluids, mixing of the components happens easily. However, in more viscous fluids such as those enclosed within cellular compartments, the intermixing of particles and molecules is much more challenging. As time also plays a role in such systems, the slow mixing by molecular movement is typically not sufficient and efficient stirring strategies are thus required to maintain functionality.

In the department of Living Matter Physics at MPI-DS, scientists investigated the universal physical principles underlying such mixing dynamics. They identified that allow for the optimal mixing of the system when energetic costs or are limiting factors. The paper is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

“We found that the most effective stirring share a universal structure and are symmetric in time,” says Luca Cocconi, first author of the study. “These optimal protocols reveal a fundamental limit on how efficiently information—for example about the identity and position of particles—can be erased in such systems.”

For the first time, scientists observed the ‘hidden swirls’ that affect the flow of sand, rocks and snow

What looks like ordinary sand, rocks or snow flowing in one direction can actually hide swirling currents that move in multiple directions beneath the surface.

When grains move in a landslide, most follow the steepest downhill path. This is the “primary flow,” where particles largely follow the herd. But some grains move sideways or swirl in hidden patterns, forming “secondary flows” that subtly influence how far and fast the material travels.

Understanding how grains move beneath the surface could help explain the physics of avalanches and landslides, and even improve how we handle everyday materials like wheat in silos or powders in pharmaceuticals.

Using exoplanets to study dark matter

More than 5,000 planets have been discovered beyond our solar system, allowing scientists to explore planetary evolution and consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Now, a UC Riverside study published in Physical Review D suggests that exoplanets, which are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, could also serve as tools to investigate dark matter.

The researchers examined how dark matter, which makes up 85% of the universe’s matter, might affect Jupiter-sized exoplanets over long periods of time. Their theoretical calculations suggest dark matter particles could gradually collect in the cores of these planets. Although dark matter has never been detected in laboratories, physicists are confident it exists.

“If the dark matter particles are heavy enough and don’t annihilate, they may eventually collapse into a tiny black hole,” said paper first author Mehrdad Phoroutan-Mehr, a graduate student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy who works with Hai-Bo Yu, a professor of physics and astronomy. “This black hole could then grow and consume the entire planet, turning it into a black hole with the same mass as the original planet. This outcome is only possible under the superheavy non-annihilating dark matter model.”

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