Lifeboat Foundation

Time: It bends and warps, or seems to speed up or slow down, depending on your position or perception. So measuring its passing accurately is one of the most fundamental tasks in physics – which could help land us on Mars or even observe dark matter.

Now, physicists at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Delaware have developed the most accurate and precise atomic clock yet, using a ‘web’ of light to trap and excite a diffuse cloud of cold strontium atoms.

“This clock is so precise that it can detect tiny effects predicted by theories such as general relativity, even at the microscopic scale,” says Jun Ye, a physicist at the NIST’s Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) lab at the University of Colorado. “It’s pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with timekeeping.”

Non-collinear antiferromagnetic materials, which have a net magnetic moment of nearly zero, yet exhibit significant anomalous transverse transport properties, are considered candidate materials for the next generation of spintronic devices.

The magnetic domain structure of these materials is crucial for information storage. However, magnetic domain imaging for non-collinear antiferromagnetic materials such as Mn₃Sn and Mn₃Ge has always been a significant challenge in this field of research.

Prof. Dazhi Hou’s team from the University of Science and Technology of China, in collaboration with Prof. Yanfeng Guo’s team from ShanghaiTech University, has successfully achieved magnetic domain imaging of Mn₃Sn and Mn₃Ge using the anomalous Ettingshausen effect and lock-in thermography (LIT) technique. They verified the superiority of this innovative method in simultaneously resolving the magnetic domain structure in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions.

Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in creating a new method for transmitting quantum information using particles of light called qudits. These qudits promise a future quantum internet that is both secure and powerful. The study is published in the journal eLight.

Traditionally, quantum information is encoded on qubits, which can exist in a state of 0, 1, or both at the same time (superposition). This quality makes them ideal for complex calculations but limits the amount of data they can carry in communication. Conversely, qudits can encode information in higher dimensions, transmitting more data in a single go.

The new technique harnesses two properties of light—spatial mode and polarization—to create four-dimensional qudits. These qudits are built on a special chip that allows for precise manipulation. This manipulation translates to faster data transfer rates and increased resistance to errors compared to conventional methods.

Is nature really as strange as quantum theory says—or are there simpler explanations? Neutron measurements at TU Wien prove that it doesn’t work without the strange properties of quantum theory.

Can a particle be in two different places at the same time? In quantum physics, it can: Quantum theory allows objects to be in different states at the same time—or more precisely: in a superposition state, combining different observable states. But is this really the case? Perhaps the particle is actually in a very specific state, at a very specific location, but we just don’t know it?

The question of whether the behavior of quantum objects could perhaps be described by a simple, more classical theory has been discussed for decades. In 1985, a way of measuring this was proposed: the so-called “Leggett-Garg inequality.” Any theory that describes our world without the strange superposition states of quantum theory must obey this inequality.

Scientists have devised a 3D-printed vacuum system to detect dark matter and explore dark energy, using ultra-cold lithium atoms to identify domain walls and potentially explain the universe’s accelerating expansion.

Scientists have developed a novel 3D-printed vacuum system designed to ‘trap’ dark matter, aiming to detect domain walls. This advancement represents a significant step forward in deciphering the mysteries of the universe.

Scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Physics have created a 3D-printed vacuum system that they will use in a new experiment to reduce the density of gas, then and add in ultra-cold lithium atoms to try to detect dark walls. The research has been published in the scientific journal Physical Review D.

For nearly 50 years, physicists have dreamed of the secrets they could unlock by raising the energy state of an atom’s nucleus using a laser. The achievement would allow today’s atomic clocks to be replaced with a nuclear clock that would be the most accurate clock to ever exist, allowing advances like deep space navigation and communication. It would also allow scientists to measure precisely whether the fundamental constants of nature are, in fact, really constant or merely appear to be because we have not yet measured them precisely enough.

Now, an effort led by Eric Hudson, professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, has accomplished the seemingly impossible. By embedding a thorium atom within a highly transparent crystal and bombarding it with lasers, Hudson’s group has succeeded in getting the nucleus of the thorium atom to absorb and emit photons like electrons in an atom do. The astonishing feat is described in a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

This means that measurements of time, gravity and other fields that are currently performed using atomic electrons can be made with orders of magnitude higher accuracy. The reason is that atomic electrons are influenced by many factors in their environment, which affects how they absorb and emit photons and limits their accuracy. Neutrons and protons, on the other hand, are bound and highly concentrated within the nucleus and experience less environmental disturbance.

The quest to understand the enigma of photosynthesis, how water is involved, and its critical role on Earth has taken a significant leap forward.

A recent breakthrough in visual technology has resulted in the capture of high-resolution images beyond any achieved before, shedding never-before-seen light on this essential life process.

Our story begins within the walls of a renowned institution, Umeå University, where diligent researchers embarked on a fascinating journey to understand the positions of hydrogen atoms and water molecules in photosynthesis.

A pair of astrophysicists with Princeton University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory found possible evidence of dark matter particles colliding. In their study, published in Physical Review Letters, Carlos Blanco and Rebecca Leane conducted measurements of Jupiter’s equatorial region at night to minimize auroral influences.

Since it was first proposed back in the 1930s, dark matter has been at the forefront of physics research, though it has yet to be directly detected. Still, most in the field believe it makes up roughly 70% to 80% of all matter in the universe. It is believed to exist because it is the only explanation for odd gravitational effects observed in galaxy motion and the movement of stars.

Researchers posit that it might be possible to detect dark matter indirectly by identifying the heat or light emitted when particles of dark matter collide and destroy each other. In this new study, the researchers found what they believe may be such an instance—light in Jupiter’s dark-side outer atmosphere.

In humankind’s ever-ticking pursuit of perfection, scientists have developed an atomic clock that is more precise and accurate than any clock previously created. The new clock was built by researchers at JILA, a joint institution of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder.

Enabling pinpoint navigation in the vast expanse of space as well as searches for new particles, this clock is the latest to transcend mere timekeeping. With their increased precision, these next-generation timekeepers could reveal hidden underground mineral deposits and test fundamental theories such as general relativity with unprecedented rigor.

For atomic-clock architects, it’s not just about building a better clock; it’s about unraveling the secrets of the universe and paving the way for technologies that will shape our world for generations to come.