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Light Reveals the Hidden Quantum Motion Inside an Exotic Crystal

Optical measurements can reveal the hidden collective motion and quantum dynamics of electrons inside a Wigner crystal.

In a Wigner crystal, electrons behave in an unusual way. Rather than moving independently, strongly interacting electrons confined to a two-dimensional plane can arrange themselves into a repeating lattice similar to the atoms in an ordinary crystal. Researchers at the University of Basel and the Technical University of Munich have now found a way to use light to examine the collective motion hidden within this fragile quantum state.

Unlike an ordinary crystal, the ordering of a Wigner crystal does not come from the structure of the surrounding material. Instead, it emerges from interactions among the electrons themselves, a property that has made this state of matter an important subject of research for decades.

CERN Experiment Finds Gluons Behaving Strangely Deep Inside Atomic Nuclei

ALICE measurements suggest that gluons inside nuclei begin behaving collectively at very small scales, favoring gluon saturation over conventional nuclear shadowing alone.

Deep inside atomic nuclei, gluons bind quarks together and help determine the structure of visible matter. A CERN study, with a University of Kansas physicist playing a leading role, has now shown that experiments can distinguish between two competing explanations for how these particles behave in nuclei.

Conducted with the ALICE experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and published in Physical Review Letters, the research provides the first multidimensional measurement of incoherent J/ψ (pronounced “” JAY-sigh”) photonuclear production across both interaction energy and momentum transfer. The approach gives researchers an unusually detailed picture of how gluons are distributed inside atomic nuclei at high energies.

Quantum Computer Solves a Problem in 15 Minutes That Classical Methods Can’t Practically Compute

Researchers have demonstrated a quantum computation that appears to exceed the practical capabilities of leading classical simulation methods while also addressing a longstanding problem: how to verify the result.

A quantum computer completed a difficult calculation in about 15 minutes, while leading classical simulation methods would require prohibitive amounts of time. Just as importantly, the experiment included a way to establish confidence that the quantum result was accurate.

IBM and University of Chicago researchers announced the demonstration on July 30, 2026, presenting it as evidence that quantum computing has met the central requirements for quantum advantage. This means completing a task beyond the practical reach of leading classical methods while providing a reliable measure of how faithfully the quantum computation was performed.

NASA’s James Webb Telescope Captures a Dying Star Sculpting a Cosmic Lion

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured new images of NGC 2,392, a planetary nebula commonly known as the Lion Nebula, revealing the cosmic object in striking infrared detail.

The Hubble Space Telescope previously observed the nebula in 2000, imaging the lion face-shaped target in visible light. Those observations highlighted its distinctive appearance, including a “mane” made up of hazy structures resembling comet tails. Webb’s high-resolution instruments now provide an even sharper look at the same object.

A Star Near the Milky Way’s Black Hole Is Losing Mass at an Astonishing Rate

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show that IRS 3, a star near the center of the Milky Way, is losing vast amounts of mass, causing its surrounding envelope to expand continuously.

Near the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, a mature star is shedding enormous amounts of gas and dust into space. Observations of IRS 3 suggest that this material has created an exceptionally large envelope, and within it astronomers have detected water molecules despite the extreme environment surrounding the galactic center.

The research was led by PD Dr. Florian Peißker of the University of Cologne’s Institute for Astrophysics. Peißker’s group, which participates in the European James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) consortium studying nearby galaxies, investigates the region surrounding Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Scientists Reprogram How Light Travels in Just 74 Femtoseconds

An ultrathin silicon surface can steer and reshape light in just 74 femtoseconds, opening a path toward a new generation of high-speed optical technology.

A pulse of light can cross the width of a human hair in roughly 74 femtoseconds. In that same vanishingly brief interval, a new device developed at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) can change the direction and shape of another light beam.

The experimental technology could point toward optical systems that respond far faster than today’s beam steering hardware. Such control is important in cameras, sensors, communication networks, scientific instruments, and emerging forms of photonic computing.

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