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May 3, 2024

Quantum Leap Into the Frequency Domain Unlocks New Possibilities

Posted by in categories: computing, information science, quantum physics

Scientists have introduced a groundbreaking form of quantum entanglement known as frequency-domain photon number-path entanglement. This leap in quantum physics involves an innovative tool called a frequency beam splitter, which has the unique ability to alter the frequency of individual photons with a 50% success rate.

For years, the scientific community has delved into spatial-domain photon number-path entanglement, a key player in the realms of quantum metrology and information science. This concept involves photons arranged in a special pattern, known as NOON states, where they’re either all in one pathway or another, enabling groundbreaking applications like super-resolution imaging that surpasses traditional limits, the enhancement of quantum sensors, and the development of quantum computing algorithms designed for tasks requiring exceptional phase sensitivity.

In a new paper published in Light Science & Application, a team of scientists, led by Professor Heedeuk Shin from Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea, have developed an entangled states in the frequency domain, a concept akin to spatial-domain NOON states but with a significant twist: instead of photons being divided between two paths, they’re distributed between two frequencies. This advancement has led to the successful creation of a two-photon NOON state within a single-mode fiber, showcasing an ability to perform two-photon interference with double the resolution of its single-photon counterpart, indicating remarkable stability and potential for future applications.

May 3, 2024

NASA’s Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Passes the Test: Completes Electromagnetic Testing for Moon Mission

Posted by in category: space travel

NASA ’s Artemis II mission’s Orion spacecraft underwent successful electromagnetic testing to confirm its readiness for moon missions.

NASA ’s Artemis II mission’s Orion spacecraft underwent successful electromagnetic testing to confirm its readiness for moon missions. On Friday, April 26, engineers completed a series of electromagnetic tests on the integrated Orion crew and service module for NASA’s Artemis II mission inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

During testing, engineers subjected the spacecraft to electromagnetic energy using wave guides, amplifiers, and antenna horns while inside an altitude chamber.

May 3, 2024

NASA’s New Global Accounting of Earth’s Rivers Reveals “Fingerprints” of Intense Water Use

Posted by in category: computing

The novel approach to estimating river water storage and discharge also identifies regions marked by ‘fingerprints’ of intense water use.

A study led by NASA researchers provides new estimates of how much water courses through Earth’s rivers, the rates at which it’s flowing into the ocean, and how much both of those figures have fluctuated over time — crucial information for understanding the planet’s water cycle and managing its freshwater supplies. The results also highlight regions depleted by heavy water use, including the Colorado River basin in the United States, the Amazon basin in South America, and the Orange River basin in southern Africa.

For the study, which was recently published in Nature Geoscience, researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California used a novel methodology that combines stream-gauge measurements with computer models of about 3 million river segments around the world.

May 3, 2024

Light Exposure Linked to Sharper Cognitive Skills, Study Finds

Posted by in category: neuroscience

New research suggests that higher light exposure can enhance alertness and cognitive performance, likely by affecting the activity in areas of the brain region known as the hypothalamus.

The study, published in the journal eLife, is described by the editors as of fundamental importance, and represents a key advancement to our understanding of how different levels of light affect human behavior. The strength of evidence is praised as compelling, supporting the authors’ analyses of the complex interplay between light exposure, hypothalamic activity, and cognitive function.

With further research, the findings could be used to inform various light therapy treatments to increase an individual’s quality of sleep and affective state, and help them feel more awake and perform tasks better throughout the day.

May 3, 2024

Revealing the Mysteries of the Cosmos With Faster Gravitational Wave Detection

Posted by in categories: cosmology, physics

A new study will improve the detection of gravitational waves —ripples in space and time. Scientists at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering co-led the research with an international team.

The research aims to send alerts to astronomers and astrophysicists within 30 seconds after the detection, helping to improve the understanding of neutron stars and black holes and how heavy elements, including gold and uranium, are produced.

The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), a peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal.

May 3, 2024

Decades in the Making: Laser Excites Atomic Nucleus in Groundbreaking Discovery

Posted by in categories: innovation, physics

For the first time, lasers have successfully excited the “thorium transition,” a process long pursued by researchers. This breakthrough sets the stage for groundbreaking advancements in high-precision technologies, such as nuclear clocks.

Physicists have eagerly anticipated this breakthrough: scientists globally have spent years searching for a specific state of thorium atomic nuclei that could lead to groundbreaking technological advancements.

It could be used, for example, to build an nuclear clock that could measure time more precisely than the best atomic clocks available today. It could also be used to answer completely new fundamental questions in physics – for example, the question of whether the constants of nature are actually constant or whether they change in space and time.

May 3, 2024

Stretchable e-skin could give robots human-level touch sensitivity

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

A first-ever stretchy electronic skin could equip robots and other devices with the same softness and touch sensitivity as human skin, opening up new possibilities to perform tasks that require a great deal of precision and control of force.

May 3, 2024

Quantum Gravity Gets a New Test

Posted by in category: quantum physics

A proposed experiment could bring scientists closer to answering the long-standing question of whether gravity is a classical or a quantum phenomenon.

May 3, 2024

A Photonic Emulator of Topological Matter

Posted by in category: futurism

A method for freely adjusting the parameters of a loop of optical fiber enables the exploration of exotic topological phases of matter.

May 3, 2024

Shedding Light on the Thorium-229 Nuclear Clock Isomer

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics, quantum physics

Researchers use a laser to excite and precisely measure a long-sought exotic nuclear state, paving the way for precise timekeeping and ultrasensitive quantum sensing.

Any reliably produced, periodic phenomenon—from the swing of a pendulum to the vibrations of a single atom—can form the basis of a clock. Today’s most precise timekeeping is based on extremely narrow electronic transitions in atoms, which resonate at optical frequencies. These stupendously precise optical atomic clocks lose just 1 second (s) in about 30 billion years. However, they could potentially be outperformed by a nuclear clock, which would instead “tick” to the resonant frequency of a transition that occurs in the atomic nucleus instead of in the electronic shell. The most promising candidate for this nuclear standard is an exceptionally low-energy and long-lived excited state, or isomer, of the isotope thorium-229 (229 Th). Researchers have now achieved the long-sought goal of exciting this transition with ultraviolet light.

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