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Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland have developed a simple method to explore a complex area of quantum science. The discovery makes research in this field cheaper and more accessible, which could significantly impact the development of future laser, quantum and high-tech display technologies.

A team of researchers developed a new method for fabricating small structures known as optical microcavities. These structures allow scientists to study how light interacts with matter in a very precise process that can lead to the creation of novel quantum states called polaritons. Polaritons are unusual hybrid particles made from light and matter.

The results have been published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials.

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Butterflies’ flight trajectories often appear random or chaotic, and compared with other hovering insects, their bodies follow seemingly mysterious, jagged, jerking motions.

These unique hovering patterns, however, can potentially provide critical design insights for developing micro-aerial vehicles (MAVs) with flapping wings. To help achieve these applications, researchers from Beihang University studied how butterflies use aerodynamic generation to achieve hovering. They discuss their findings in Physics of Fluids.

“Hovering serves as an essential survival mechanism for critical behaviors, including flower visitation and predator evasion,” said author Yanlai Zhang. “Elucidating its aerodynamic mechanisms provides fundamental insights into the evolutionary adaptations of butterflies’ flight kinematics.”

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But such measurements are notoriously challenging: the instruments used are themselves governed by , and their interaction with particles can alter the very properties they are meant to observe.

“The field of quantum measurements is still poorly understood because it has received little attention so far. Until now, research has mainly focused on the states of themselves, which feature properties—like entanglement or superposition—that are more directly applicable to areas such as quantum cryptography or ,” explains Alejandro Pozas Kerstjens, Senior Research and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Applied Physics, Physics Section, at the UNIGE Faculty of Science.

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Time crystals represent a new phase of matter proposed by Frank Wilczek, the Nobel laureate of Physics in 2004; they can break original time-translation symmetry and create new time oscillations spontaneously.

Recently, a joint research team from the National Time Service Center (NTSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Jiao Tong University observed a time crystal in a maser system.

The results are published in Communications Physics.

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Scientists have developed a dual-laser Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR) system that uses two frequency-modulated lasers. By scanning the relative modulation phase between the pump and reference lasers, the setup measures strain and temperature all along an optical fiber. In a proof-of-concept test on a 13-meter silica fiber, the team recorded Brillouin gain spectra (BGS) at only about 200 MHz—over 50 times lower than the usual 11 GHz band.

The research was published in the Journal of Physics: Photonics on April 25, 2025.

“The dual-laser approach makes BOCDR equipment simpler, more cost-effective, and easier to deploy, giving engineers a practical tool for long-term structural health monitoring, factory process control, and many other sensing tasks,” said senior author Associate Professor Yosuke Mizuno of Yokohama National University.

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Medieval alchemists dreamed of transmuting lead into gold. Today, we know that lead and gold are different elements, and no amount of chemistry can turn one into the other.

But our modern knowledge tells us the basic difference between an atom of lead and an atom of gold: the lead atom contains exactly three more . So can we create a gold atom by simply pulling three protons out of a lead atom?

As it turns out, we can. But it’s not easy.

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The study presents new evidence that infants are capable of learning words solely through exposure to language. Human language enables us to learn the meanings of words for things we’ve never directly experienced. We do this effortlessly in everyday conversation, often using context to infer the me

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A new study combining satellite imagery with genetic analysis reveals that climate and land use changes are driving increased vegetation growth in Europe’s mountain regions, ultimately leading to a decline in the genetic diversity of medicinal plants such as Greek mountain tea. Mountain regions a.

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