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Category: particle physics – Page 42

Scientists develop ultraprecise, efficient and flexible technique for counting and analyzing nanoplastics

While the threat that microplastics pose to human and ecological health has been richly documented and is well known, nanoplastics, which are smaller than one micrometer (1/50th the thickness of an average human hair), are far more reactive, far more mobile and vastly more capable of crossing biological membranes. Yet, because they are so tiny and so mobile, researchers don’t yet have an accurate understanding of just how toxic these particles are.

The first step to understanding the toxicology of nanoplastics is to build a reliable, efficient and flexible tool that can not only quantify their concentration in a given sample, but also analyze which specific plastics that sample contains.

An international team of scientists led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst reports in Nature Water on the development of a new tool, known as the OM-SERS setup, which can do all of these things and can furthermore be used to detect particular nanoplastic concentrations and polymer types in solid samples, such as soils, body tissues and plants.

Europe’s plans for an even bigger particle collider, explained

Europe’s physics lab CERN is planning to build a particle-smasher even bigger than its Large Hadron Collider to continue searching for answers to some of the universe’s tiniest yet most profound mysteries.

The Future Circular Collider (FCC) has not yet received a political green light or funding. Even if approved, the vast project would not start operations until the 2040s—or be completed until the end of the century.

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which famously discovered the “God particle” Higgs boson and is currently the world’s powerful particle accelerator, is expected to have run its course by the 2040s.

Quantum Computers Take a Leap Toward Accurate Nuclear Simulations

A newly developed framework for quantifying uncertainties enhances the predictive power of analog quantum simulations. Simulating quantum many-body systems is a major objective in nuclear and high-energy physics. These systems involve large numbers of interacting particles governed by the laws of

World’s largest atom smasher makes 1st-of-its-kind ‘beauty’ particle discovery that could unlock new physics

Why matter dominates over antimatter in our universe has long been a major cosmic mystery to physicists. A new finding by the world’s largest particle collider has revealed a clue.

Researchers propose a simple magnetic switch using altermagnets

Controlling magnetism in a device is not easy; unusually large magnetic fields or lots of electricity are needed, which are bulky, slow, expensive and/or waste energy. But that looks soon to change, thanks to the recent discovery of altermagnets. Now scientists are putting forth ideas for efficient switches to manage magnetism in devices.

Magnetism has traditionally come in two varieties: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, based on the alignment (or not) of in a material. Early last year, physicists announced experimental evidence for a third variety of magnetism: altermagnetism, a different combination of spins and crystal symmetries. Researchers are now learning how to tune altermagnets, bringing science closer towards practical applications.

We’re all familiar with ferromagnetism (FM), like a refrigerator magnet or compass needle, where magnetic moments in atoms lined up in parallel in a crystal. A second class was added about a hundred years ago called antiferromagnetism (AFM), where magnetic moments in a crystal align regularly in alternate directions on differing sublattices, so the crystal has no net magnetization, but usually does at low temperatures.

A quantum superhighway for ultrafast NOON states

Until now, creating quantum superpositions of ultra-cold atoms has been a real headache, too slow to be realistic in the laboratory. Researchers at the University of Liège have now developed an innovative new approach combining geometry and “quantum control,” which drastically speeds up the process, paving the way for practical applications in quantum technologies.

The paper is published in the journal Physical Review A.

Imagine being in a supermarket with a cart filled to the brim. The challenge: get to the checkout before the others, without dropping your products on the corners. The solution? Choose a route with as few corners as possible to go faster without slowing down. That’s exactly what Simon Dengis, a doctoral student at the University of Liège, has managed to do, but in the world of quantum physics.

CERN Creates Top Quarks for the First Time, Revolutionizing Physics

In a remarkable leap forward for science, researchers at CERN have successfully created and observed top quarks—one of nature’s most elusive and unstable particles—inside a lab for the very first time. This breakthrough, announced by the ATLAS team at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), promises to reshape our understanding of the early Universe and the fundamental makeup of matter.

Study proposes new mechanism underpinning intrinsic strange metal behavior

Quantum critical points are thresholds that mark the transition of materials between different electronic phases at absolute zero temperatures, around which they often exhibit exotic physical properties.

One of these critical points is the so-called Kondo-breakdown quantum critical point, which marks the collapse of the Kondo effect (i.e., that entails the localization of magnetic moments in metals), followed by new emergent physics.

Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Rutgers University, and Seoul National University set out to further study the dynamical scaling associated with the Kondo-breakdown quantum critical point, utilizing a describing heavy fermion materials known as the periodic Anderson model.

Improving steel pipelines for safe transport of hydrogen: Synchrotron light captures 3D images of cracks formed inside

Hydrogen is increasingly gaining attention as a promising energy source for a cleaner, more sustainable future. Using hydrogen to meet the energy demands for large-scale applications such as utility infrastructure will require transporting large volumes via existing pipelines designed for natural gas.

But there’s a catch. Hydrogen can weaken the that these pipelines are made of. When hydrogen atoms enter the steel, they diffuse into its microstructure and can cause the metal to become brittle, making it more susceptible to cracking. Hydrogen can be introduced into the steel during manufacturing, or while the pipeline is in service transporting oil and gas.

To better understand this problem, researcher Tonye Jack used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to capture a 3D view of the cracks formed in steels. Researchers have previously relied on two-dimensional imaging techniques, which don’t provide the same rich detail made possible with synchrotron radiation.

Liquid robot can transform, separate and fuse like living cells

A joint research team has successfully developed a next-generation soft robot based on liquid. The research was published in Science Advances.

Biological cells possess the ability to deform, freely divide, fuse, and capture foreign substances. Research efforts have long been dedicated to replicating these unique capabilities in artificial systems. However, traditional solid-based robots have faced limitations in effectively mimicking the flexibility and functionality of living cells.

To overcome these challenges, the joint research team successfully developed a particle-armored liquid robot, encased in unusually dense hydrophobic (water-repelling) particles.