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Category: particle physics – Page 65

Breakthrough in Physics : Top Quarks Created for the First Time at CERN

In a major milestone for particle physics, scientists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have successfully observed top quarks—one of the most elusive and short-lived fundamental particles—being produced in a laboratory setting. This historic discovery sheds light on the nature of matter and offers new insights into the early Universe, marking a turning point in our understanding of subatomic particles.

Quarks are the fundamental building blocks of protons and neutrons, which in turn make up the atoms forming all matter in the Universe. There are six known types of quarks: up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom. Among these, the top quark stands out due to its heavy mass and extreme instability.

Unlike protons or neutrons, which persist indefinitely under normal conditions, the top quark decays almost instantly, with a lifetime of just 5×10^−25 seconds. This fleeting existence has made direct observation challenging, making the latest results from the LHC a remarkable breakthrough in experimental physics.

AI’s Energy Crisis Solved? A Revolutionary Magnetic Chip Could Change Everything

Scientists in Japan have now developed a groundbreaking spintronic device that allows for electrical control of magnetic states, drastically reducing power consumption. This breakthrough could revolutionize AI hardware by making chips far more energy-efficient, mirroring the way neural networks function.

Spintronic Devices: A Game-Changer for AI Hardware

AI is rapidly transforming industries, but as these technologies evolve, so does their demand for power. To sustain further advancements, AI chips must become more energy efficient.

Optimized nickel particles improve catalyst performance for hydrogenation reactions

A research team led by Wang Guozhong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a novel method to precisely control the size of nickel (Ni) particles in catalysts, improving their performance in hydrogenation reactions.

The findings, published in Advanced Functional Materials, offer new insights into catalyst design for .

Catalysts play a crucial role in accelerating without being consumed, and the size of metal particles within them is a key factor influencing their performance.

Simulating particle creation in an expanding universe using quantum computers

A new study published in Scientific Reports simulates particle creation in an expanding universe using IBM quantum computers, demonstrating the digital quantum simulation of quantum field theory for curved spacetime (QFTCS).

While attempts to create a complete quantum theory of gravity have been unsuccessful, there is another approach to exploring and explaining cosmological events.

QFTCS maintains spacetime as a classical background described by general relativity, while treating the matter and force fields within it quantum mechanically. This allows physicists to study in “curved spacetime” without needing a complete theory of quantum gravity.

Researchers observe a phase transition in a 1D chain of atoms using a quantum simulator

Phase transitions, shifts between different states of matter, are widely explored physical phenomena. So far, these transitions have primarily been studied in three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) systems, yet theories suggest that they could also occur in some one-dimensional (1D) systems.

Researchers at the Duke Quantum Center and the University of Maryland recently reported the first observation of a finite-energy phase transition in a 1D chain of atoms simulated on a . Their paper, published in Nature Physics, introduces a promising approach to realizing finite-energy states in quantum simulation platforms, which opens new possibilities for the study of phase transitions in 1D systems.

The recent study is a that combined the work of theoretical physicists at the University of Maryland with that of at the Duke Quantum Center, where the was placed and where the experiments were carried out.

Study reveals how swimming speed alters foot vortex dynamics

When humans kick swim through water, vortices form around their legs, generating the force that propels them forward. However, the mechanisms underlying variations in the structure of these vortices with swimming speed remain unclear.

In a new study published in Experiments in Fluids, researchers analyzed swimmer movement using an optical motion capture system and investigated vortex structure changes with varying speeds. They employed to visualize water flow dynamics.

Their results revealed that during underwater undulatory swimming, the vortex structure in the down-kick-to-up-kick transition phase changed as swimming speed increased. Specifically, with rising swimming speed, the direction of the jet flow between the two around the foot shifted to a more vertically downward orientation, a shift hypothesized to enhance forward propulsion during up-kicking.

New AI hardware on the horizon thanks to electrically programmable spintronic device

AI transformational impact is well under way. But as AI technologies develop, so too does their power consumption. Further advancements will require AI chips that can process AI calculations with high energy efficiency. This is where spintronic devices enter the equation. Their integrated memory and computing capabilities mimic the human brain, and they can serve as a building block for lower-power AI chips.

Now, researchers at Tohoku University, National Institute for Materials Science, and Japan Atomic Energy Agency have developed a new spintronic device that allows for the electrical mutual control of non-collinear antiferromagnets and ferromagnets. This means the device can switch magnetic states efficiently, storing and processing information with less energy—just like a brain-like AI chip.

The breakthrough can potentially revolutionize AI hardware via high efficiency and low energy costs. The team published their results in Nature Communications on February 5, 2025.

The Secret Intelligence of Ink: Physicists Solve a Fluid Mechanics Mystery

What began as a demonstration of the complexity of fluid systems evolved into an art piece in the American Physical Society’s Gallery of Fluid Motion and ultimately became a puzzle that researchers have now solved.

Their new study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters

<em> Physical Review Letters (PRL)</em> is a prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Physical Society. Launched in 1958, it is renowned for its swift publication of short reports on significant fundamental research in all fields of physics. PRL serves as a venue for researchers to quickly share groundbreaking and innovative findings that can potentially shift or enhance understanding in areas such as particle physics, quantum mechanics, relativity, and condensed matter physics. The journal is highly regarded in the scientific community for its rigorous peer review process and its focus on high-impact papers that often provide foundational insights within the field of physics.

Solar cycle study reveals trends in charged particle numbers and interactions

A large team of researchers working on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Collaboration, which has been analyzing eleven years’ worth of data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station, has found trends in the number of particles moving around in the heliosphere and in the way they interact with one another.

The team has published two papers in the journal Physical Review Letters; one describing trends they found surrounding antiproton and elementary particle behavior over a single and the other covering solar modulation of cosmic nuclei behavior, also over a single solar cycle.

Prior research has shown that the sun follows a cycle that repeats itself every 11 years. The AMS has been running for more than 11 years, but the researchers working on both efforts focused on conditions during just one cycle. They wanted to know how the sun impacted energy particles in the and beyond.