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BIG Projects To Solve Pressing Issues In Science — Dr. Christopher Stubbs, Ph.D. — Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Harvard University.

Dr. Christopher Stubbs, Ph.D. is the Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and has recently served as the Dean of Science in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, at Harvard University (https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/peo…

Dr. Stubbs is an experimental physicist working at the interface between particle physics, cosmology and gravitation. His interests include experimental tests of the foundations of gravitational physics, searches for dark matter, characterizing the dark energy, and observational cosmology.

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On Thursday January 30th, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are doing a 6.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Among other goals, they’ll be collecting surface samples from the station to analyze for the presence of microbes.

The ISS “surface swab” is part of the ISS External Microorganisms project. It was developed to understand how microorganisms are transported by crew members to space. It also seeks to understand what happens to those “mini-critters” in the space environment.

NASA will provide live coverage of the walk which will also conduct some other maintenance on the station along with the sampling activities.

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When astronomers detected the first long-predicted gravitational waves in 2015, it opened a whole new window into the Universe. Before that, astronomy depended on observations of light in all its wavelengths.

We also use light to communicate, mostly radio waves. Could we use gravitational waves to communicate?

The idea is intriguing, though beyond our capabilities right now. Still, there’s value in exploring the hypothetical, as the future has a way of arriving sooner than we sometimes think.

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Researchers have developed a new electrically active biomaterial that can be transplanted into the body to improve recovery following central nervous system injuries. The material acts as a scaffold that also provides electrical stimulation.

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A new study in Nature Communications explores the dynamics of higher-order novelties, identifying fascinating patterns in how we combine existing elements to create novelty, potentially reshaping our understanding of human creativity and innovation.

Novelties—a common part of human life—refer to one of two things. The first is the discovery of a single item, like a place, song, or an artist. The second covers discoveries new to everyone, such as technological developments or drug discoveries.

The researchers in this study aimed to understand how both kinds of novelties emerge. The team was led by Prof. Vito Latora from the Queen Mary University of London, who spoke to Phys.org about the work.

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Quantum computers have the potential of outperforming classical computers on some optimization and computational tasks. Compared to classical systems, however, quantum systems are more prone to errors, as they are more sensitive to noise and prone to so-called decoherence.

Decoherence is a process via which a quantum system loses its quantum properties due to interactions with its surrounding environment, causing a loss of quantum information and errors. This loss of coherence can be caused by a range of external disturbances, including material defects, temperature fluctuations and .

In recent years, physicists and engineers worldwide have been trying to devise effective methods to reduce decoherence and thus improve the reliability of quantum computers. The sources of decoherence in include so-called two-level systems (TLSs), which are a class of material defects that arise from the random switching between two energy states, which can disrupt the stability of qubits.

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In an advance for quantum technologies, researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, have created a functional quantum register using the atoms inside a semiconductor quantum dot.

Published in Nature Physics, the work demonstrates the introduction of a new type of optically connected qubits—a critical advance in the development of quantum networks, where stable, scalable, and versatile quantum nodes are essential.

Quantum dots are nanoscale objects with unique optical and electronic properties that come from quantum mechanical effects. These systems are already used in technologies like display screens and , and their adoption in quantum communication has been mostly due to their ability to operate as bright single-photon sources.

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